The tennis stars who found love with fellow players (2024)

Work romances are nothing new, and just because your office happens to be the international tennis circuit it doesn't mean Cupid can't strike...as the number of loved-up couplescurrently gracing Wimbledon proves.

SW19 has seen plenty of love matches 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.

In the early 1970s, 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.

As the first week of Wimbledon gets underway in South London, there's more than a few tennis stars who are dating their fellow players, having found love on the practice courts.

Here, FEMAIL rounds up the tennis partnerships that really are flourishing...

The new Steffi and Andre? Katie Boulter and Alex de Minaur

There may be a new king and queen of SW19 this year, and, joy, one half of this power couple is British.

Katie Boulter, 26, the nation's new women's No 1 has been dating Australian boyfriend Alex de Minaur - ranked No 17 in the world - since 2021, with the pair regularly sharing snaps of their time together on social media.

The couple are renting a house a stone’s throw from the All England Club with both families and Boulter says the familiarity and relaxing time helps her preparation.

‘We all get to spend a whole lot of time together,’ she said recently. ‘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.'

Both have reasonably strong chances to go deep into the competition and will be relying on each other to help maintain focus and discipline in what is one of the tennis calendars most glamorous events.

Boulter and De Minaur regularly watch the other compete and don't try to remain in the background when cheering on from the grandstands at tournaments.

De Minaur made headlines for his heart-warming demonstration of support for his partner at Wimbledon last year during her second-round victory over previous finalist Karolina Pliskova.

Buzzing in the aftermath of his own win over British hopeful Jack Draper, the 24-year-old heartthrob used a post-match interview to praise his girlfriend on live television.

'Before we talk about my match, can we just talk about Katie Boulter today? I mean, she had a pretty good win herself,' he told the BBC.

Parent play: Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils

Tennis star Elina Svitolina dispatched with Venus Williams in her first match at Wimbledon this year, and the Ukrainian former world No.3 continues her comeback after giving birth to her first child, Skaï, with fellow pro player Gael Monfils inOctober 2022.

Monfils is currently out of the tournament with a wrist injury.

The couple announced their engagement in 2021 on social media, with the Frenchman posting 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 and Svitolina have been dating since 2019 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 dream: Madison Keys and Bjorn Fratangelo

Off court, they've been dating since 2017...and on courtMadison Keys, seeded 25th in the women's draw, and doubles player Bjorn Fratangelo, 29, make a pretty impressive doubles pairing.

Earlier this year, the couple announced they're soon set to stride down the aisle, sharing on Instagram the news of their engagement.

Sharing a snap of their hands entwined and a sparkler on Keys' ring finger, they both captioned the shot 'forever'.

Keys revealed how the proposal happened after playing in the Charleston Open. She told reporters: '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.

Teen tennis sweethearts: Daria Gavrilova and Luke Saville

Australian tennis stars Daria Gavrilova, 29, and Luke Saville, also 29, tied the knot in Melbourne in 2021 after falling in love as teenagers on the junior circuit.Gavrilova will take on Britain's Katie Boulter in the first round of Wimbledon.

Meeting as 15-year-olds on the courts, the pair were engaged in December 2018 andwalked 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.

In 2018 Mrs Saville 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.'

Czech-mates:Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac

Rumours began to swirl thatCzech Republic players Katerina Siniakova, 27, and Tomas Machac, 22, were an item in 2021, and the couple confirmed it on Instasgram soon after, withMachac sharing a snap of the pair in a restaurant, with the caption 'My Love'.

While Machac, who playes Brit Cameron Norries in the first round at SW19, is 103 in the world, his girlfriend is seeded 32 at Wimbledon in the singles but is top seed in the doubles having previously won the US Open and Wimbledon three times.

Eden Silva and Liam Broady: An all-British affair?

Neither Silva or Broady have officially confirmed their friendship is a romance, but they certainly feature on each others' social media accounts.

Silva, 27, who is of Russian and Sri Lankan descent, crashed out in the qualifiers for Wimbledon.

Meanwhile wildcard Broady, from Stockport, is already through to the second round of the competition, having beaten FrenchmanConstant Lestienne6-1 6-3 7-5.