Friday Five: Tennis’ best love matches

Love is in the air. Or is it? While the tennis court can be a lonely place, the tennis tour can be anything but. With that in mind, we thought we’d cast our mind back over some of tennis’ greatest love matches. Like any good story, they don’t all have happy endings. But enough of them do to leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling (and warrant a Friday Five).

First, a couple of couples who didn’t quite make it…

5. Maria Sharapova and Grigor Dimitrov

She was the most marketable female athlete on the planet, his career appeared to be heading in a similar direction (on the men’s side, at least). Yes, like a pair of perfectly-chiselled Michelangelo statues, Maria Sharapova and Grigor Dimitrov always looked good together. But looks can be deceiving. And while everything seemed to be purring along perfectly during their brief romance (2012 – 2015), trouble was afoot. Rumours started swirling about Grigor and Bulgarian Playboy models, Maria went to ground, and tennis’ most glamorous match-up disappeared down a finely-chiselled latrine.

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4. Tomas Berdych and Lucie Safarova

Fame won’t change a thing, right? Try telling that to Lucie Safarova. Czech sensations Safarova and Tomas Berdych got together as teenagers, and worked their way up through the professional game together. But with success comes distractions (of various sorts) and the pair soon split in 2011. What happened? Nobody quite knows. But it wasn’t long before Tomas was seen with former model – and future wife – Ester on his arm…

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And now for three who did…

3. Flavia Pennetta and Fabio Fognini

Sometimes opposites really do attract. Before her retirement, 2015 US Open champion Flavia Pennetta was one of the coolest players on the WTA Tour. Fabio Fognini, meanwhile, remains the ATP’s most fiery genius. Those contrasting personalities might have suggested that the pair were entirely mismatched. However, since getting together in 2014 they’ve not only tied the knot, but dropped a sprog into the world as well.

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2. Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf

Okay, in professional terms these two may no longer be in their prime. But the tennis world breathed a collective ‘cuuute’ when two of the greatest players to ever grace the game finally got it together. Why finally? Well, Andre had to be patient after failing to score a dance with Steffi at the 1992 Wimbledon Champions’ ball. Seven years later he finally got to wow her with his disco boogie, the pair getting together in 1999 and marrying in 2001.

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1. Roger and Mirka Federer

Who else could top the list? He was the GOAT who wasn’t yet a GOAT. She was an up-and-coming Swiss tennis starlet. It was written in the stars. When Roger bumped into Mirka in the Olympic village at Sydney 2000 it was love at first sight. Sort of. It would be another nine years before the pair were married, and a few years after that they started breeding. Two pairs of identical twins (first girls, then boys) followed, and the Federers’ went on to become the ultimate tennis power couple.