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Russian tennis power couple Anastasia Potapova and Alexander Shevchenko have gotten engaged.
Potapova and Shevchenko, both 22 years old, started dating at the beginning of the year and have since been seen supporting each other at tournaments all over the world.
The happy couple announced the good news via a post on their Instagram accounts on Sunday, September 24.
Potapova reflected on her relationship during the 2023 French Open, highlighting the uncertainty about how they would make it work amid rigid schedules. However, they somehow kept in touch and spent a lot of time together with each other.
"Obviously, I didn’t know how it was going to work because scheduling in tennis is never easy. But somehow we’ve been able to manage it and in fact, it’s like we’ve spent every week together and we see each other a lot, which is a very good thing," she told tennis.com.
Anastasia Potapova is grateful to have found somebody who understands the ups and downs of being a professional athlete. She especially appreciates Shevchenko's support during the tough times.
"It’s really helpful to have someone who can support you, not just on your team, but someone you’re close to. He’s someone who not only knows tennis but also wants what is best for you. Even if I play like shit, he’s still going to support me, so that’s very nice to have someone like this on the tour. He understands," she continued.
Anastasia Potapova and Alexander Shevchenko are the third high-profile tennis couple who got engaged in 2023 after Mirjam Bjorklund and Denis Shapovalov, and Madison Keys and Bjorn Fratangelo.
Anna Kalinskaya, Elena Vesnina, and more congratulate Anastasia Potapova and Alexander Shevchenko
Congratulatory messages have flooded social media after Potapova and Shevchenko shared the good news. Several top tennis players, current and retired, were quick to convey their best wishes.
Anna Kalinskaya, Dinara Safina, Elena Vesnina, and Kamilla Rakhimova, as well as Mirjam Bjorklund and Elena-Gabriela Ruse, commented on Potapova's Instagram post.
Shevchenko's colleagues Flavio Cobolli and Chun-Hsin Tseng also congratulated him.
Potapova and Shevchenko have had a memorable tennis season in 2023. The World No. 26 won her second career title at the Linz Open in February and reached the semifinal of the Stuttgart Open and the Birmingham Classic.
Shevchenko, meanwhile, has been successful on the Challenger circuit, winning a couple of titles. The World No. 86 also reached the third round of the Madrid Open as a qualifier.
