HOW WIMBLEDON IS FULL OF TENNIS COUPLES THIS YEAR
Wimbledon is underway but when umpires utter 'love' it will mean more than just 'nil' for many of those taking part in the prestigious tennis tournament.
SW19 has been the setting for plenty of romances between players over the years - Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf began dating in 1999, the year they were both French Open champions, and are still married more than 20 years later.
Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors captivated fans with their off-court affair. Although they never made it down the aisle, they were dubbed 'The Lovebird Double' when they both won Wimbledon in 1974.
While the trend for players dating has not been a prominent feature of the game as it once was, it appears to have now made a comeback with a number of tennis 'it couples' gracing Wimbledon's hallowed lawns.
Anabel Croft, former player turned BBC pundit, said recently: 'It's fun to watch and people love gossip. Tennis players have a circus lifestyle. It helps that your partner knows how difficult your losses are.'
Leading the way is Italian world number one Jannik Sinner who is dating Russian Anna Kalinskaya and have been dubbed the game's new 'power couple.'
They are believed to have started dating in April 2024 after meeting during practice sessions together and then were regularly seen supporting each other at matches.
The couple have been spotted training together ahead of Wimbledon while Jannik, who won the Australian Open earlier this year confirmed their relationship during last month's French Open.
He told journalists: 'I'm with Anna, yes, but we keep everything very confidential – you know my confidentiality…I won't say more.'
Anna, 25 has largely remained tight lipped on the romance but revealed last month after losing the final of the Berlin Ladies Open: 'I'm just trying to be a little bit as good as him. Let's see if we can watch each other tomorrow. I'm going to text him now!'
Jannik, 22 won his first Grand Slam in Australia earlier this year, which earned him a lucrative contract as a Gucci ambassador and has established him as a fashion icon whose appeal goes beyond tennis fans.
Born in San Candido, Italy, he resides in Monte Carlo but rarely gets to spend time with Anna there because of their tennis commitments.
Moscow born Anna, who is currently ranked 18th in the world, started playing tennis when she was little and at 14, she moved to the US to pursue tennis as a career.
Her parents, Nikolay and Elena, are both former professional badminton players while her brother Nikolaz Kalinsky is a football player who plays as a central midfielder or defensive midfielder for FC Pari Nizhny Novgorod in Russia.
Katie Boulter, the current British number one women's singles player has been dating Australian boyfriend Alex de Minaur - ranked number nine in the world - since 2021, with the pair regularly sharing snaps of their time together on social media.
They actually played in the Wimbledon mixed doubles together last year. Ahead of this year's tournament, she revealed in an interview with Australian media that she knew he was the man of her dreams very quickly.
She said: 'We bumped into each other at six in the morning and ended up getting a coffee. From that moment, I knew I was in it for the long haul,' Boulter told The Age.
'Growing up, I was always super-close to my grandpa: I always said to myself that if I can find someone who has half his heart, I'll be the luckiest woman in the world. I've found that person in Alex.
'He puts me before himself all the time and takes care of the people around him – his family and his team. He's my best example of what I want to be.'
He has previously revealed that it is 'just a joy to be around her' and deeply admires her upbeat nature.
Last year, the couple rented a house close to the All England Club with both their families and are believed to have done that again for this year's tournament.
Boulter, 27 said of the reasons behind it: 'We all get to spend a whole lot of time together. I have the option of popping out when I want to - I know where the closest coffee shop is, where the stringers are - so this is a place I can call home.'
Boulter and de Minaur, 25 regularly watch each other compete and do not try to remain in the background when cheering on from the grandstands at tournaments. They also routinely post pictures of each other on social media and supportive messages.
Speaking of the benefits of being with a fellow pro, Boulter said: 'I have learned so much from him, how he works and trains.'
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina has been married to fellow pro player Gael Monfils since 2021 with the couple having their first child, Skaï, a year later.
Announcing their engagement on social media in April 2021, the Frenchman posted a picture of Svitolina showing-off her ring in the mountains and writing: 'She said YES. Madame MONFILS.'
The Ukrainian former world No.3 posted a shot of their pair together, adding: 'YES! to the beginning of our forever.'
Monfils, 37 and Svitolina, 29 have been dating since 2019 after meeting on the tennis circuit and have become fan favourites, regularly posting to their shared 'GEMS life' Instagram page.
After returning to the circuit following the birth of their daughter, the Ukrainian won an event in Strasbourg but has struggled for form since.
She said of dating a fellow player: 'It's really special to have someone who understands what you go through to get these wins, and it's special to share these moments together.'
American pro Madison Keys ranked 11th in the world has been dating doubles player Bjorn Fratangelo since 2017, who also happens to be her coach.
The couple also often play doubles together and featured in the US Open mixed doubles in 2021.
They met while training at the same facility in the US and announced their engagement in 2023.
Keys, 29 said at the time: 'He actually did it at home. The day that I got back from Dubai, so I was not expecting it at all.
'I was sitting on the couch, and he was like, 'Hey I have your birthday present.' He handed me something and then got down on one knee. Just sitting on the couch so now we have to keep the couch forever.'
Fratangelo, 30 revealed: 'We're best friends. She's my fiancée. There's nothing we keep from each other, and it's been very collaborative, and it's been a lot of fun I think for both of us.'
Australian tennis stars Daria Gavrilova and Luke Saville, both 30, fell in love as teenagers on the junior circuit and eventually walked down the aisle in 2021.
Russian-born Gavrilova became an Australian citizen in 2016 and the couple's first dance at their nuptials was set to My Universe by Coldplay - with the pair learning a routine from YouTube.
She now uses her married name while competing in the professional game and is currently ranked 82.
In 2018 she recounted hilarious details about their beachside proposal, which didn't go according to her husband's plans.
'He proposed on the beach, and he was like you would have been sussed about anything else, because if I was dressed up - we never dress up. If we were dressed up, you would be waiting there in the restaurant or something,' she said.
'So, we went down to the beach. And there were so many people, it was like, oh, God. I'm taking my tights off because we're about to get in the water. And he's like, there's too many people. And I'm just like, what are you talking about? Like let's get it over with. I don't want to sit in the cold water for that long.
'And then I see the box, and he's like, 'I've got a question to ask', and then he proposed. He didn't get down on his knee, but he asked. He was like, 'can I not get down on my knee?' I was like, fine. Sure. Because I didn't want it to be a big thing.'
Rumours began to swirl that Czech Republic players Katerina Siniakova, 27, and Tomas Machac, 22, were an item in 2021, and the couple confirmed it on Instagram soon after, with Machac sharing a snap of the pair in a restaurant, with the caption 'My Love'.
Machac takes on Andy Murray tomorrow and is currently ranked 33rd in the world while Katerina, ranked 5th has enjoyed considerably more success than her partner, having won the US Open and Wimbledon three times.
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