Professional And Amateur Athlete Couples Who Won The 2010s
It's fun to follow the lives of some of the world's leading athletes, both on and off the field, gymnasium, or even mountain. And when one superstar athlete so happens to begin dating another professional, it makes for some swoon-worthy romances.
From soccer star Julie Ertz and her Philadelphia Eagles husband, Zach, to defensive NFL star J.J. Watt and his FIFA goal-winning wife, Kealia, the 2010s brought some powerhouse couples. Keep reading; this list might give some insight into the next generation of Allstar athletes!
David Lee And Caroline Wozniacki
Two-time NBA All-Star David Lee married professional tennis player Caroline Wozniacki in 2019. Before tying the knot, though, the former basketball player got a few accolades under his belt, including the coveted National Championship ring in 2015 when he played for the Golden State Warriors.
His wife, on the other hand, has made herself on a different type of court. Well, technically speaking, three different types of courts. The former number one player in singles, Wozniacki held the title of the top female player for 71 weeks, between 2010 and 2011, an impressive feat in the world of tennis.
Servando Carrasco And Alex Morgan
Meeting when they were both playing soccer for the University of California, Servando Carrasco and Alex Morgan were two of the most powerful professional players in the sport. A solid defensive midfield, Carrasco has played on four different teams during his career.
And then there's Alex Morgan, one of the best players in the women's league. In 2012 alone, the USWNT co-captain scored 28, had 21 assists, and helped Team USA win gold at the Summer Olympic Games. She also helped the National Team bring home the FIFA trophy in both 2015 and 2019, winning the Silver Boot in the latter year.
J.J. Watt And Kealia Ohai
Considering their respective accomplishments, both defensive NFL player J.J. Watt and soccer superstar Kealia Ohai are one intense couple. As the first player to have two 20-plus sack seasons, Watt has won the Defensive Player Award three times running, holding the Texan franchise record for both sacks and forced fumbles.
Then, there's his wife, soccer player Kealia Ohai, who holds the record for the quickest goal scored during her national team debut, 48 seconds. Ohai is also known for scoring the sole goal at the 2012 FIFA championship, winning the tournament for the US Women's National Team against Germany.
Laila Ali And Curtis Conway
Even as the daughter of fighting legend Muhammed Ali, Laila Ali made a name for herself outside of her father's influence in the sport of boxing. Retiring with an undefeated record of 24-0, Ali held the WBC, IWBF, IBA, and WIBA super-middleweight titles when she was still in the ring.
Now, she's married to former NFL wide receiver Curtis Conway. During his time in the National Football League, Conway played for four teams, averaging over 1,000 yards during three of his 12 seasons and throwing two touchdown passes, a rare occurrence for his position.
Aaron Ross And Sanya Richards-Ross
Former NFL cornerback Aaron Ross and three-time Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross have been married since 2010. While their life might be chronicled in the reality series Sanya's Glam and Gold, it's nothing compared to when they were both playing their respective sports.
Ross began his professional career in 2007 with the New York Giants, helping them win Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI. Richards-Ross can most likely run circles around her husband, though. The three-time Olympian won gold for track and field, on top of the dozens of medals she's won for international competitions.
Andre Agassi And Steffi Graf
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf come from the world of tennis. As one of the premier players in the sport, Agassi won a total of eight majors during his time as a professional. Not to mention the first male player to win a major on all three court surfaces.
Of course, his wife is just as ruthless in the tennis world, winning 22 majors as well as a gold medal at the Olympic Games. The tennis couple married back in 2001 and have two children together, aka tennis prodigies.
Ray Ferraro And Cammi Granato
Ray Ferraro earned his retirement from the NHL in 2002. During his 18 years in the league, Ferraro played 1,258 games, scoring 408 goals and having 490 assists. The 1992 All-Star also had two seasons of 40 goals, not an easy feat. Then in 2004, he married former US Women's Hockey superstar Cammie Granato.
Now, Granato might not have played in the NHL, but she was a member of the Olympic team to bring home gold in 1998 and silver in 2002. In 2010, she was honored with being the first woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Sue Bird And Megan Rapinoe
When it comes to athletic power couples, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe's relationship is one of the best. Player for the WNBA, Bird is a 10-time All-Star who is on her way to retiring with the most assists in the league. With that impressive resume, it's hard to think her significant other would be able to top it.
But Megan Rapinoe is a spitfire, winning an Olympic gold medal with the women's national soccer team in 2012 and the FIFA World Cup in 2015. She has had the honor of co-captaining the national team since 2018. The two have been in a relationship since 2017.
Gretchen Bleiler And Chris Hotell
X Games superstar Gretchen Bleiler and Chris Hotell have been married since 2009, opting to take their nuptials away from the snowy mountains, to the beautiful beaches of Costa Rica. Of course, they weren't gone for long. In 2003, 2005, 2008, and 2010, Bleiler dominated the X Games Superpipe, snowboarding her way to a gold medal each year.
While also a snowboarder, Hotell took up a different position during the X Games, as the Team Manager for the athletes riding for Oakley. The two currently live in Aspen, Colorado, never too far away from some fresh powder.
Danica Patrick And Aaron Rogers
Danica Patrick took to the professional track as a NASCAR racer in 2010, after having a few years as an IndyCar driver under her belt. She's credited with being the most popular and famous female in the sport and earned one win under her belt before retiring from racing in 2018.
It's actually that same year when she began dating Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Playing in the NFL since 2005, the Super Bowl XLV champion has many records under his belt, including the lowest career and single-season interception rate. Unfortunately, the two athletes called it quits in 2020.
Brianne Theisen And Ashton Eaton
Brianne Theisen and Ashton Eaton are a different kind of couple. Instead of playing "normal" sports, these two are world-class heptathlon, decathlon, pentathlon, and track and field stars. Each of them has made it to the Olympic Games at one point or another, with Eaton bringing home two gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 decathlon event.
The two intense athletes met while attending the University of Oregon in 2007. They were married a few years later, in 2013. Considering how much training goes into these events, we can't even imagine what their kids are going to be like growing up!
Jrue Holiday And Lauren (Cheney) Holiday
Jrue Holiday and Lauren Cheney met while they were student-athletes at the University of California Los Angeles. Still, they didn't start dating until the Philadelphia 76ers selected Holiday as their first-round draft pick in 2009. Since then, he's played 713 games, averaging 15.9 points. And while that's impressive, so is his wife's career.
Midfielder for the United States Women's National Soccer Team, Lauren Cheney (now Holiday) holds the impressive distinction of being the only female player ever to have her number retired. The two athletes married in 2013 and have two kids together, a son and daughter.
Zach And Julie Ertz
Julie Ertz is a superstar soccer player, helping the United States Women's National Team bring home the FIFA title in both 2015 and 2019. The former year, she was the second-youngest player on the team. But that didn't stop her from playing every minute of the seven games it took the team to win.
On the other hand, her husband plays on a different kind of field. As a tight-end for the Philadelphia Eagles, Zach Ertz holds the NFL record for most receptions during a season and helped the team bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the city for the first time in 2017.
Bastian Schweinsteiger And Ana Ivanovic
In the world of professional soccer, Bastian Schweinsteiger has won pretty much every award imaginable during his career. After 500 games as a central midfielder for Bayern Munich, Schweinsteiger retired with a Champion's League crown, World Cup title, and eight Bundesliga titles under his belt.
Ana Ivanovic comes from a bit of a different athletic background as a professional tennis player. Ranked number one in the world in 2008 after winning the French Open, Ivanovic is now considered one of the greatest professional tennis players of all time. The two star athletes were married in 2016 and have two sons together.
Nomar Garciaparra And Mia Hamm
Nomar Garciaparra made quite a name for himself as a power-hitting shortstop for the Boston Redsox. Winning Rookie of the Year in 1997, Garciaparra went on to land in the Top 10 nominees for the MVP Award the following three years. He finished his career as a .313 hitter with 229 home runs.
His wife Mia Hamm is arguably the most famous women's soccer player of all time. Hamm was honored as the FIFA World Player of the Year in both 2001 and 2002. The two-time World Cup winner and former Redsox player tied the knot in 2003.
Misty May-Treanor And Matt Treanor
Misty May-Treanor, aka one of the former leading ladies in the world of volleyball, retired in 2012. But not after bringing home three consecutive Olympic gold medals for beach volleyball. As of her retirement, May-Treanor is the most successful beach volleyball player, with 112 individual championship wins.
Her husband, Matt Treanor, on the other hand, is a former free-agent MLB catcher. Playing for eight years, Treanor retired in 2012 with 18 home runs and a .221 batting average. The two athletes have three children together.
Heather Mitts And A.J. Feeley
Former professional soccer player Heather Mitts and former NFL quarterback A.J. Feeley took the marital plunge in 2010, after a few years of an on-and-off relationship. Out of college, Mitts went straight to the big leagues, playing for Women's Professional Soccer until her retirement in 2013.
Feeley began his professional journey in 2001 when the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him in the fifth round. As a free-agent, Feeley hopped around teams until his retirement in 2011. Now, he's more focused on being a father to his and Mitts' two children, Conner and Blake.
Amanda Nunes And Nina Ansaroff
The powerhouse couple of Amanda Nunes and Nina Ansaroff is nothing to mess with, considering they're both majorly successful MMA fighters. Since she first stepped into the ring in 2008, Nunes has become one of the best fighters around, holding UFC championship titles in both women's bantamweight and featherweight divisions.
Her partner, Ansaroff, on the other hand, competes in the strawweight division, where she ranks number sixth in the world as of 2020. She's also won 10 out of her 16 total matches since she began professionally fighting in 2013. The couple has since welcomed a baby girl into their family!
Shelden Williams And Candace Parker
Shelden Williams and Candace Parker met in 2003 when she was on a recruiting visit to Duke (she wound up attending the University of Tennessee). The two basketball players began dating three years later, before both were drafted into the NBA and WNBA, respectively.
For his first stint as a professional, Williams played for the Atlanta Hawks until 2009 when he was traded to the Sacramento Kings. He retired after playing a year in China. On the other hand, Parker is known as one of the best players in the WNBA, holding several titles and awards, including the Rookie of the Year and MVP Awards in 2008.
Maria Sharapova And Grigor Dimitrov
Starting in 2012, retired tennis legend Maria Sharapova dated fellow player Grigor Dimitrov. Sharapova has been ranked number one in the world on numerous occasions throughout her career, winning a career Grand Slam during her time as a professional.
Her former significant other, Dimitrov isn't as well known in the circuit, but he's the most successful Bulgarian player to date. While not number one, Dimitrov ranked number three in the world after the ATP Finals in 2017. He's still yet to win a Grand Slam title. Unfortunately, the two tennis stars parted ways in 2015.
