Whether or not relationships work better between athletes who sometimes play the same tournaments and travel together is open to debate. But it is a fact that several tennis players have opted to stay together or exchange vows.

Let’s take a look at five tennis players who have dated each other.

#5. Dominic Thiem and Kristina Mladenovic

Thiem began dating Mladenovic in 2017, but the pair really started to get noticed when the French player was spotted in Thiem’s box during the 2018 French Open.

Mladenovic, whose parents are Serbian, has won multiple Grand Slams in women’s doubles competitions. But she has some significant wins against her name in singles as well.

Mladenovic beat World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty to give France a 2-1 in the 2019 Federation Cup. Around the same time, Thiem got past Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to reach the summit clash of the ATP Finals.

Thiem later stated that the lack of quality time together, owing to the demands of a hectic tour schedule, took its toll on the relationship and ultimately led to the break-up.

#4. Matteo Berrettini and Ajla Tomljanovic

Matteo Berrettini dated Ajla Tomljanovic from 2019 until they parted ways in early 2022.

Croatian-born Tomljanovic, who is now an Australian citizen, was photographed with Berrettini in Austria back in 2020. The 2021 Wimbledon finalist, meanwhile, cheered for his partner during the Australian Open.

Rumors of a possible break-up between the two first surfaced during the 2022 Indian Wells Open, when it came to light that they had both deleted each other’s photographs from their Instagram accounts.

Berrettini confirmed the news of the split before the final of the Queen’s Club tournament earlier this year.

#3. Kim Clijsters and Lleyton Hewitt

The two former World No. 1 players met at the 2000 Australian Open, when Clijsters’ sister asked the Belgian star to get her Hewitt’s autograph.

Clijsters is a four-time singles Grand Slam champion and shared a fierce and famed rivalry with compatriot Justine Henin.

Hewitt, a two-time singles Grand Slam champion, also played the 2000 Wimbledon mixed doubles final partnering Clijsters.

The two announced their split in October 2004, four months before their scheduled wedding. But Clijsters continued to be popular amongst Australian fans, who called her “Aussie Kim.”

Hewitt subsequently married actress Bec Cartwright while Clijsters tied the knot with American basketball coach Brian Lynch.

#2. Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert

Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert were the fairy-tale couple of the 1970s. Both Connors and Evert won Wimbledon in 1974 while they were dating, and had a scheduled wedding in November of that year.

The wedding, however, never happened.

Connors won eight Grand Slam titles and holds the record for winning the most career titles on the ATP tour, while Evert won a whopping 18 Grand Slam singles titles during her career.

As part of a biography released 40 years later, Connors revealed that his partner’s abortion, which apparently happened without his knowledge, was the cause of their estrangement. Evert, however, expressed her displeasure at the revelations.

#1. Maria Sharapova and Grigor Dimitrov

Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova dated Grigor Dimitrov from 2012 until the end of their relationship in 2015. The glamorous duo caught the media’s attention both before and after they went public about being together in 2013.

The two were seen watching each other’s matches before they split in 2015, but stated that they continued to be friendly thereafter.

In her book, “Unstoppable,” Maria Sharapova detailed how she first got in touch with the Bulgarian and the manner in which the relationship blossomed.

Maria Sharapova, who is four years older than Dimitrov, also revealed the reason the two parted ways in 2015.

Maria Sharapova retired from the sport in 2020. The Russian was barred from playing on the tour for 15 months due to a positive drug test for meldonium, but returned to the tour in 2017 and reached the quarterfinals of the French Open the next year.

Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov is still competing on the tour and is now ranked World No. 19.

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