Tennis players Anastasia Potapova and Alexander Shevchenko delighted fans on September 25 when they posted a beautiful photo of themselves on Instagram to announce their engagement.
Both were dressed in white for the photo, and Potapova is seen putting up her ring-bearing hand while bending slightly toward her partner, Shevchenko.
The pair, who did not require any form of language to express their sentiment, simply captioned the image with three emoticons: ❤️💍♾️.
The WTARussians also congratulated the couple on X:
It’s a yes! 💍💒🤵♂👰♀
Congratulations to Anastasia Potapova and Alexander Shevchenko, who are officially engaged!
It’s a yes! 💍💒🤵♂👰♀
Congratulations to Anastasia Potapova and Alexander Shevchenko, who are officially engaged! pic.twitter.com/lZ1qbcMH5Q
— WTARussians (@WTArussians) September 24, 2023
The two have been dating since January and are now nine months into their relationship. Many fans were taken by surprise given how little time they’ve spent together as a couple. But what many didn’t know was that the two had already known each other since they were nine-years old. Their friendship has, over the years, fortified and naturally morphed into a loving relationship. According to reports, it was during the latest Australian summer that the two began to see each other in a romantic way.
Back in June, Potapova also mentioned in one of her interviews with Tennis.com that Shevchenko has been very supportive of her.
“It’s really helpful to have someone who can support you, not just on your team, but someone you’re close to,” Potapova said. “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.”
Potapova and Shevchenko’s professional life
Potapova achieved her highest WTA singles ranking of No. 21 on June 2023, and her highest doubles ranking of No. 40 on December 2022. Currently, the Russian tennis player ranks No. 27 in the world.
In her latest bout at the Guadalajara Open Akron, eleventh seed Potapova went head to head against Colombian Emiliana Arango but was defeated in the match with a final score of 6-4, 6-3.
Meanwhile, Shevchenko achieved his highest ATP singles ranking, No. 83, on August 2023, and his highest ATP doubles ranking, No. 406, on February 2023. At present, Shevchenko holds the 86th spot on the ATP singles rankings.
Currently, Shevchenko is also participating in the Szczecin Open .
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The photo above is from Instagram