There was a lot of buzz when Indian tennis star Sania Mirza got married to Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik almost eight years ago. The duo will be celebrating their eighth marriage anniversary in April this year. Sania and Shoaib have managed their professional and personal life perfectly.
However, cricket and tennis bond was made once again when England fast bowler Reece Topley got in a relationship with the Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina. As per various media reports, the couple is all set to tie the knot in 2018.
While Topley has represented England in 10 ODIs and 6 T20Is, his career has been troubled by the frequent injuries. He is currently recovering from a series of spinal stress fractures and is away from the field. He is only 23, and the cricketer can make a comeback anytime in the international arena. On the other hand, Svitolina is a famous Tennis player in Ukraine and became the first woman in the country to break into the top 10 rankings last year.
Svitolina reveals how she met Topley
Svitolina, in an interview with The Telegraph, recalled the time when she first saw Reece Topley while training at the gym in 2016 during her visit to England.
“I spotted him straight away,” she has explained. “It wasn’t difficult – he is two metres tall and very strong. I was very focused on my training and then I saw him in the restaurant afterward.” The tennis player also explained that she had mistaken the cricketer as a professional curling player at first.
However, once that misunderstanding was cleared, she attended around six of Topley’s matches when he played for Hampshire. She also added that her husband gets recognized more than her as cricket is more popular than tennis.
“Reece gets recognized in the street more than me. Cricket is more popular here,” Svitolina happily said.
