Former tennis champion Ana Ivanovic and ex-Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger have officially ended their marriage after nine years together, confirming long-standing rumors about a rift between the high-profile sports couple.
The news was confirmed by Ivanovic’s lawyer, Christian Schertz, who released a statement citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. Schertz also made it clear that the couple would not issue further comments, asking the public and media to respect their privacy and that of their three young children.
Ivanovic, a former World No. 1 and 2008 French Open champion, met Schweinsteiger in 2014 during his time at Bayern Munich. Their relationship quickly became one of the most admired in the world of international sports.
A year later, Schweinsteiger transferred to Manchester United, while Ivanovic began winding down her career, retiring from professional tennis in December 2016.
The pair tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Venice in July 2016, and have since welcomed three sons. The names of their first two children — Luca and Leon — are publicly known, while the third child, born less than two years ago, has been kept out of the spotlight.
For years, the couple was seen as a model of balance between sporting excellence and family life. Their quiet separation ends nearly a decade of what many considered one of sports’ most stable and elegant unions.
As fans react to the news, both Ivanovic and Schweinsteiger are expected to focus on co-parenting and protecting their children from media attention, according to their representatives.