Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko split

Ovechkin and Kirilenko
Ovechkin and Kirilenko

Ovechkin was distinguished by patriotism in romantic preferences: all the girls with whom he was credited with relationships, except for the singer Fergie, were Russian. And Alexander’s longest and public romance of those that did not end with a wedding began just in the USA – a country of terrible female figures.

Maria Kirilenko and Alexander Ovechkin
Maria Kirilenko and Alexander Ovechkin

History of a love affair

Ovechkin was in New York as part of an NHL pre-season media tour. There, at that time, the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the season, was ending, and Alexander, who had never been to tennis, was invited there. He came with friends to the Nadal-Roddick quarter-finals, and when it ended in less than two hours, he walked around the tournament grounds.

So Alexander came across the court, where the Russian girls Maria Kirilenko and Nadezhda Petrova were warming up. Two hours later, Ovechkin cheered for them in the doubles semi-final (lost), and later said: “I saw her, she saw me and immediately fell in love.” The first date took place that same evening – via Skype from hotel rooms.

Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko split

Becoming a couple, Alexander and Maria raised their careers

After two average seasons, he again became the best scorer in the NHL, and she reached two helmet quarterfinals, the semifinals of the London Olympics in singles (took bronze in pairs) and the top 10 of the world ranking.

Their first joint spring at the Indian Wells tournament, Kirilenko also produced the main tennis-hockey crossover since the wedding of Elena Dementieva and Maxim Afinogenov: in a hockey-style match with Maria Sharapova, she tapped the court three times with a racket, for which the judge deprived her of a point (for hindrance to the opponent), and the caustic Sharapova then suggested that she “made a mistake in sports.”

Later that summer, Ovechkin accompanied Kirilenko to tournaments, becoming, according to the Washington press, the highest paid caddy in WTA history. “We help each other, we support,” Alexander said. – Since she is also an athlete, she understands that during the season my free time is spent on rest and recovery. I do the same for her.” In London, Ovechkin, however, not only selflessly rooted for his beloved, but even played tennis on the sacred grass courts.

But everything could not have turned out that way.
But everything could not have turned out that way.

They became the Washington elite, but soon after Sochi they broke up. Now both families

Alexander and Maria were in no hurry with the wedding (or, at least, did not advertise plans), which was quite understandable with such busy professional schedules. Moreover, ahead was the home Olympics, which Ovechkin called the most important start of life. But they got on the cover of Washington Life magazine, which proclaimed them “one of the royal couples” of the capital – on a par with the Clintons and Kerry.

Ovechkin Kiriyenko
Ovechkin Kiriyenko

The second joint Olympics of Kirilenko and Ovechkin turned out worse than the first: Russia lost to Finland in the quarterfinals of Sochi, and there were no new selfies with medals. In the end, the wedding did not happen either.