10 high profile couples who broke up

There have been plenty of instances in history where top sportspersons have been romantically involved with each other and also occasions where they have found love across disciplines. Such pair ups also boost their popularity and bring much scrutiny into their private lives.

Most of the stars involved in such romances are tight-lipped about their personal lives but it is hard to hide from the paparazzi who love to celebrate even a rumour of celebrities getting involved with each other.

While there have been occasions where such couples have overcome the intense public scrutiny and managed to keep the relationships intact, many such couples have broken apart which often impacts their career adversely or in some cases positively.

On the heels of the highly publicised Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie break-up, we decided to take a look at some of the major break-ups from the sports world.

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#10 Anna Kournikova – Sergei Fedorov

Anna Kournikova was one of the most popular tennis players in the world in the 2000s, thanks to her looks more than her sporting skills. Kournikova, who also doubled up as a swimsuit model, was romantically involved with Sergei Fedorov who was one of the top ice hockey players in the world at that time.

Fedorov, a former NHL MVP, claims to have married Kournikova in 2001 and then to have divorced her 2 years later. Bizarrely, Kournikova has never admitted that they tied the knot before splitting up. The Russian diva was later involved with Enrique Iglesias and is believed to be still in a relationship with her.

#9 Mohammad Azharuddin – Sangeeta Bijlani

Mohammad Azharuddin was one of the most popular cricketers in India during the ‘90s and naturally sent shockwaves through his fan circles when he divorced his first wife Naureen in 1996 to marry Bollywood actress Sangeeta Bijlani.

The Indian captain’s relationship with Bijlani was heavily scrutinised by the Indian media before Azhar was banned for being involved in a match-fixing scandal which effectively ended his career and ruined his standing among his fans. Azhar and Bijlani were married for 14 years and called it quits in 2010.

#8 Sergio Garcia – Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis, who was winning Grand Slams and hearts of tennis fans before she had even turned 21, was one of the stars in women’s tennis towards the late ‘90s and early 21^st century. She was romantically involved with Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia in 2002, when both of them were only 22-years-old. But unfortunately, the relationship fizzled out after about a year.

Sadly, both the stars had to go through a downward spiral in their careers with Hingis even forced to quit tennis for several years in 2002 due to ligament injuries in her ankles. Garcia also had a forgettable period in his career following the break-up.

#7 Shane Warne – Elizabeth Hurley

Shane Warne was one of the greatest spinners to have played the game of cricket and naturally grabbed eyeballs when he entered a relationship with English actress Elizabeth Hurley after retiring from his career. But owing to Warne’s status as a legendary cricketer, the couple were regularly in the news and sent the media into a frenzy when it was confirmed they were engaged.

But alas, like many a celebrity pairing, Warne and Hurley decided to call it quits in December 2013 after a 3-year fling. The reason was rumoured to be Warne’s non-commital to get married.

#6 Adam Scott – Ana Ivanovic

Ana Ivanovic was one of the top players in Women’s tennis in 2008, having won the French Open and also reached the No.1 spot in WTA rankings. The Serbian left many of her fans disappointed when she started dating Australian golfer Adam Scott in early 2009.

Scott had even remarked that being with Ana helped him play better but his results were speaking otherwise. From being ranked just outside the top 10, Scott slipped to lower reaches of the top 100.

Ana also experienced a slump in her career and plummetted outside the top 50 as the couple failed to keep their relationship from affecting their careers. Subsequently, they called it quits in 2010 with Ivanovic saying her relationship with Scott distracted her from playing her best.

#5 Rory McIlroy – Caroline Wozniacki

There has to be something about golf and tennis, with many a relationship springing up between stars from the 2 sports. The latest on that chapter was star British golfer Rory McIlroy and Danish tennis sensation Caroline Wozniacki. Obviously, there was a lot of media scrutiny when both of them hooked up in 2011.

The relationship continued strong for about 3 years and Wozniacki announced their engagement in January 2014. But shockingly, McIlroy called off the wedding just 4 months later with the Dane claiming he blindsided her with the decision which was conveyed to her in a 3-minute phone call. McIlroy alleged that he felt his career benefitted from the split.

#4 Maria Sharapova – Sasha Vujacic

Maria Sharapova, often considered the ‘most eligible bachelorette’ in sports by adoring fans, stunned them when she announced she was dating Slovenian basketball player Sasha Vujacic in 2009. Vujacic, who was the envy of Sharapova’s many admirers, got engaged with the Russian diva in 2011 after going out with her for 2 years.

While Sharapova’s career was blighted by numerous injuries during her time with Vujacic, the Slovenian was a mainstay of the NBA title-winning LA Lakers in 2009 and 2010. To the surprise of sports aficionados, Sharapova and Vujacic split in 2012 with busy international schedules being cited as the reason by both stars.

Sharapova would go on to date Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov for 2 years then.

#3 Lleyton Hewitt – Kim Clijsters

Hewitt and Clijsters were 2 of the leading tennis players in the world in the 2000s and were subject to much media scrutiny when it came to be known that they were in a relationship. The Belgian met Hewitt during the Australian Open in 2000 when Kim's sister, Elke, asked her to get Hewitt's autograph.

Subsequently, Kim’s and Hewitt’s relationship blossomed. She was even known as ‘Aussie Kim’ among the Australian public during the period.

They were famously engaged after a romantic boat trip around Sydney Harbour in December 2004 but the much talked about wedding would never come to fruition. Differences in the planning for the wedding between Kim Clijsters and her to-be in-laws were cited as the reason the two former world number one tennis players split.

#2 Chris Evert – Jimmy Connors

Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors were high profile names in tennis during the 70s and 80s. The American pair were dubbed the ‘Love Double’ and were the darlings of the fans. Both of them got engaged after winning the men’s and women’s Wimbledon in 1974. A wedding was planned in the same year but their romance did not last that long. The wedding was called off much to the disappointment of the fans.

Later, in his autobiography, Connors claimed both of them were unfaithful to each other in their relationship and Evert even had an abortion against his wishes. Evert went on to marry British tennis player John Lloyd in 1979, but the marriage fell apart.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo – Irina Shayk

Cristiano Ronaldo is an absolute superstar in football and is probably the most followed athlete in the world. Naturally, when the ex-Manchester United forward entered into a relationship with Russian supermodel Irina Shayk, the couple were the cynosure of all eyes. Cristiano met Irina during one of his endorsement shoots in 2010 and the couple hit it off. They appeared publicly in many functions and were one of the most talked about couples for about 5 years.

The couple’s decision to split in January 2015 was heavily scrutinised by media with all sorts of rumours flying around. Later, Irina hit out at Cristiano that he had cheated on her during their relationship. Cristiano has been single after the episode while Irina is rumoured to be dating Bradley Cooper.