Two all-star tennis couples have used the 2024 French Open as a chance to express their love-love.
The second major tournament of the year, going down at Paris’ famed Roland Garros, has featured perhaps the final French Open appearance from Rafael Nadal, a highly-contested match between Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka, and enough rain delays to put the umbrella industry out of business.
But, off the court, there are two couples who have provided enough spark to light even the most dreary French sky.
On Monday, May 27, reigning Australian Open champion and world No. 2 Jannik Sinner confirmed he was dating Anna Kalinskaya, the 25th-ranked woman in the world.
Meanwhile, world No. 9 Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have rekindled their romance after announcing their breakup just weeks ago.
For a full breakdown on the electric tennis twosomes, keep reading.
Jannik Sinner and Anna Kalinskaya
After rumors had been swirling for weeks, Sinner, 22, confirmed that he was dating Kalinskaya, 25, after his first-round defeat of American Christopher Eubanks.
“You know, I don’t like to talk much about my private life,” Sinner said, in his native Italian, during his post-match press conference. “Yes, I’m with Anna, but we keep everything very confidential. I won’t say more.”
On Saturday, May 25, a social media account dedicated to Sinner posted a photo of him and Kalinskaya smiling together on the practice court before the start of the tournament.
Prior to his new relationship, Sinner was rumored to have been dating Italian model Maria Braccini.
“I want to protect the people closest to me, keeping them out of this,” Sinner told Vanity Fair Italia when asked about his personal life in March. “I see it as a small task to carry out, almost a duty. They helped me, when I was young, to gain self-confidence, and today in some way I want to protect them.”
Kalinskaya, who formerly dated tennis player Nick Kyrgios in 2020, was on hand to watch Sinner’s first-round match from the stands.
Sinner was also in Kalinskaya’s box for her first-round match on Monday, a straight-set victory over Clara Burel.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa
It’s been a whirlwind month for Tsitsipas, 25, and Badosa, 26, who announced their split on May 5 after a year of dating.
However, Tsitsipas revealed their time apart only served to show the power couple just how much they wanted to be together.
“After two, three weeks I realized that she is a person who has supported me a lot and when she tried to talk to me about meeting I felt how intense the love we have for each other is,” Tsitsipas told journalist Vicky Georgatou this week via Tennis.com. “I realized that this relationship I have with Paula is completely different from any other relationship I have had in the past.”
He continued, “I feel that she is my person and we understand each other; that puts more value in everything I do and I want her by my side as often as possible. So yes, we’ve reconnected and we’re in a good moment.”
In addition to both competing in singles’ action at the French Open, Tsitsipas and Badosa were granted a wild card entry to compete together in mixed doubles.
In announcing their reconciliation, Tsitsipas also revealed it had been his decision to take the couple’s initial break.
During her own media availability, Badosa addressed getting back together with Tsitsipas, albeit more succinctly.
“The relationship is working very well now,” she said. “He already explained. I have nothing else to say.”
After their initial split, Badosa gave a candid peek behind the curtain.
“When we were great, the relationship was great,” she told Tennis.com on May 7. “Other times, we have our own careers, our own things, and sometimes it’s better to separate ways.”
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Badosa also addressed the split on social media.
“We have shared a journey filled with love and learning, and it is as friends with immense mutual respect that we now choose to move forward on our own paths,” she wrote. “We are grateful for the support of our friends, family, and all who have been part of our story. As we transition into this new chapter of our lives, we continue to wish each other nothing but the best in all our endeavors.”
