Inside tennis' 'most beautiful doubles team': From a world famous footballer boyfriend to tumultuous tour LOVE TRIANGLE - and controversial acts over Ukraine war

Daily Mail​

7 days ago

World No33 Olga Danilovic and her partner, world No37 Anastasia Potapova may have been stopped in the quarter-finals of French Open women's doubles this week, but their time in Paris saw them pick up another distinction - albeit a little more dubious.
The 23-year-old and 24-year-old were singled out by media in Danilovic's native Serbia as the 'most beautiful doubles pairing of all time', with fans keen to learn more about the stars after their fourth-round exit to youthful doubles partnership Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider.
Neither Danilovic or Potapova are keen doubles stars, with rankings in the high 700s and a partnership last a skimpy three tournaments, but both are singles players to watch, with the players netting a number of eye-catching recent wins.
Danilovic made headlines in Melbourne with her shock despatch of world No3 Jessica Pegula at this year's Australian Open, with the rising star unlucky to be drawn against world No1 Aryna Sabalenka at Roland-Garros cutting her singles progress short.
The player also reached the finals of the Rouen Open, finishing runner-up after defeat to Elina Svitolina.
Potapova has also enjoyed a strong start to 2025, claiming her third singles title at the Transylvania Open, and beating top-10 star and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in Madrid.
But Potapova and Danilovic have also been making their fair share of headlines away from the court. Here, Mail Sport offers a closer look at the newly viral duo.
Partnering her tennis hero
Danilovic very much has sports in her genes, as the daughter of Partizan basketball icon Predag Danilov, who currently heads up the Serbian Basketball federation after calling time on a career that saw him dazzle in Europe as well as the NBA at both Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks.
The player admitted that while she relies on her father for emotional support, it is her mother Svetlana, a sports journalist, who has the most technical advice in terms of her game.
But within her sport, the left-hander's idol is a predictable one: her compatriot Novak Djokovic.
'He's No1 for me in every part of being a tennis player,' the starlet said in 2021. 'When you talk to him, you think, "OK, now I'm going to be everyone after talking to him".
'His energy and his dedication and his passion to play and work is something that pushes you to be better.'
As a junior, Danilovic worked with Djokovic at his Novak Tennis Centre in Belgrade, and the Serbian serial champion has acted as a mentor to the player during her budding career.
But now that Danilovic is his country's No1-ranked women's players, the pair are also teaming up on-court, and played United Cup doubles for Serbia at the end of 2024.
Madrid living with a LaLiga star
As well as being surrounded by sporting greats in her familial and professional life, Danilovic also has the added bonus of being able to call upon one in a romantic context.
Since early 2023, Danilovic has been publicly in a relationship with Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak, with the pair living together in the Spanish capital.
The 23-year-old has been a frequent supporter from the stands at the Metropolitano, just as Oblak has often been spotting in Danilovic's player box, most recently travelling to Paris to watch her Roland-Garros progress.
Danilovic has shared relatively little about her relationship beyond a scant number of pictures on Instagram, but was more open when discussing the importance of her partnership with Oblak two years ago.
'When you feel good, everything becomes more beautiful, easier, and better,' Danilovic told Mozzart Sport. 'That's how it is when you feel fulfilled in every aspect.
'But primarily, it takes hours and hours on the court, in the gyms, and fitness centers. Definitely, when things are good off the court, maybe it can be better on the court, let's say it that way.'
The 32-year-old is similarly supportive of his girlfriend's career and has frequented matches
Oblak travelled to Paris to take in Danilovic's Roland-Garros trophy from her player box
The love-all triangle
The 24-year-old and her then-husband, Alexander Shevchenko, were childhood friends, with Potapova meeting the world No103 on the junior Russian tennis circuit. But by early 2023, their relationship had turned romantic.
Potapova and Shevchenko then married at the tail-end of the year in a small civil ceremony at Marriages Palace No1 in St Petersburg.
But within less than 12 months, their marriage appeared to be over, with both Potapova and Shevchenko scrubbing all trace of pictures, videos, and shared content from their social media profiles in September 2024.
Potapova was the first to break her silence, sharing that they had split in the wake of last year's US Open due to 'problems' in their relationship.
'I made some shockingly big decisions at the end of the year,' Potapova told Russian-language outlet Bolshe. 'But like I mentioned, that's life. Unfortunately, things like that happen and you have to accept it. Of course, I'm very disappointed it all went the way it did.
Congratulations to Anastasia Potapova and Aleksandr Shevchenko on their marriage! Wish them both every happiness! ❤️💕💝 💍 pic.twitter.com/HvTbM1Ft66
— LaWanda (@lawanda50) December 1, 2023
But by September 2024, the 24-year-old had scrubbed all mention of her husband from her social media profiles
'I really wish Sasha - I can say it on camera, I'm not ashamed of these words - I really wish him all the best, and he deserves all the best.
'I wish him all the best with his career, as well, because he's very talented and he has to keep working and developing as a player.
'But I guess we had problems; some couples get over these problems, and some don't. Unfortunately, we were one of the couples that didn't.'
Potapova also shared that it had been a challenge breaking up under the glare of the WTA tour, where they had been an established couple. The Russian star stressed that she could understand people's curiosity, but was doing the interview with the intention of closing the door on discussions about her personal life.
How wrong she would be. Potapova instead found herself in the spotlight once again as she appeared to start another ATP romance, with online sleuths picking up her presence in the player's box of world No35 Tallon Griekspoor from February as the Dutch star participated in the Gulf state swing.
It was during the Dubai Championships and Griekspoor's match-up with Ugo Humbert that Potapova was first captured in his corner. Potapova then sat courtside to watch him at Indian Wells, the joint tour tournament the perfect platform for the increased exposure of their budding relationship.
In an interview given at the start of the year, Potapova openly wished her ex-husband nothing but the very best
Recently Potapova appears to have started a relationship with Tallon Griekspoor, and has attended a number of matches in his corner
The Dutch star looked bound for a collision with Shevchenko in Paris but mercifully avoided an awkward encounter
While the pair have not taken their relationship public on social media, Potapova has been present for a number of Griekspoor's matches at Roland-Garros before his retirement against Alexander Zverev.
But the couple only narrowly avoided a clash that she might not have wished to be present for: Griekspoor and Shevchenko were drawn into the same quarter, and on course for a meeting in the third round.
Sparing Potapova's potential blushes, however, was American up-and-comer Ethan Quinn, who despatched the Russian 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 in the second round ahead of his own five-set loss to Griekspoor.
Picking the wrong team
It isn't solely Potapova's romantic exploits that have sneaked attention away from her on-court travails. In March 2023, the player found herself at the centre of an uncomfortable dispute over her training kit after sporting a jersey from Russian football team Spartak Moscow before her match against Jessica Pegula at Indian Wells.
The gesture was interpreted as a show of support for her home country on a tour where competing under a Russian flag has been banned since Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Among those to voice their disquiet with her choice of outfit was then-world No1 Iga Swiatek, who said that she was 'surprised' by Potapova's decision.
'I thought the player realised that she should not, even if she is a fan of the team, show her views in this way at such times,' Swiatek added.
Being a childhood supporter of the Moscow side was Potapova's defence as she received a warning from the WTA over the garment, a decision that the player said she would heed out of 'respect for the place where I work'.
In 2023 Potapova found herself in hot water after sporting the jersey of her football team Spartak Moscow
In the aftermath of the controversy, Potapova heeded the WTA's warning but said she 'didn't care' about complaints from players like Iga Swiatek
But Potapova was less accommodating of Swiatek's opinion on the matter, sharing that she didn't think the player 'had the right to condemn people for some actions.
'Every person has the right to choose; it was my personal choice to go to the match in a Spartak jersey.
'She condemned me, but I don't care about her complaints.'
Potapova was also one of a number of players, including Adrian Mannarino, Karen Khachanov, and Jasmine Paolini, to play a controversial Gazprom-sponsored exhibition tournament in St Petersburg in 2023.
The tours were keen not to endorse the event, with the WTA issuing a statement in the wake of questions about it by stressing that players are 'independent contractors' with the ability to 'participate in an exhibition without penalty during the off-season'.