After three years of being with Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, Russian tennis player Maria Kirilenko announced Monday that the two have separated, ending their engagement.
Kirilenko didn't delve into the details but in a statement given to Tennis Fortuna (translated via Google but it's clear enough that you get the message) she broke the news.
"I have decided to terminate the engagement. Reasons are many, but do not want to go into details. I'll Say one thing: our relationship completed, but I respect [Ovechkin] as a person and athlete and I sincerely wish him continued athletic success. Currently I'm just focused on preparation for the next tournament and I hope that will soon be able to please their fans news, not only about his personal life, but also about his athletic success."
The two Russian stars began dating in 2011. When Kirilenko began showing up at Capitals games in the stands, people began to wonder and later Ovechkin officially let the public know they were indeed an item. A little more than a year later at the end of 2012, the two confirmed they were engaged.
Through the years they were often seen at each other's sporting events with Kirilenko sometimes sitting side-by-side with Ovechkin's parents and during the offseason Ovechkin would be spotted in the stands at tennis tournaments, particularly the majors.
Kirilenko, 27, was in the top 10 of the rankings not even a year ago but she has tumbled down the WTA Tour rankings and now checks in at No. 93, thanks largely to a knee injury suffered at the end of 2013.
Ovechkin has continued to do what he does best and that's to score goals. Some were willing to credit his turnaround that led to the Hart Trophy in 2013 in part to Kirilenko. Capitals fans will be hoping this breakup won't have an inverse effect.
Maria has broken up with Ovechkin. Sorry, #Caps fans, here come 15-goal seasons.
— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) July 21, 2014
