Anastasia Potapova talks tennis, divorce from Alexander Shevchenko

Anastasia Potapova opened up about the end of her relationship with fellow tennis pro Alexander Shevchenko in a no holds barred chat with Bolshe, the interview dropping on YouTube Wednesday.

“I made some shockingly big decisions at the end of the year,” she told Sofya Tartakova from her training base in Dubai. “But like I mentioned, that’s life. Unfortunately, things like that happen and you have to accept it. Of course, I’m very disappointed it all went the way it did.”

The world No. 33 married Shevchenko, who peaked inside the Top 50 last year, during the 2023 off-season, having made their relationship public earlier that year. The pair ultimately separated following the 2024 US Open.

“I really wish Sasha—I can say it on camera, I’m not ashamed of these words—I really wish him all the best, and he deserves all the best. I wish him all the best with his career, as well, because he’s very talented and he has to keep working and developing as a player. But I guess we had problems; some couples get over these problems, and some don’t. Unfortunately, we were one of the couples that didn’t.”

Potapova, 23, and Shevchenko, 24 quietly removed one another from their respective social media pages, but waited until the off-season to officially announce their separation. In the meantime, she was left to play with the secret while fending off questions about her relationship.

“My team, my close ones, even me, we were all shocked by how mentally strong I could be,” she said.

“Every other person came to me and asked, ‘So what, you two broke up?’ On tour, outside the tour. Of course, it’s not really polite, but it’s life and people are curious. It’s like a TV show for them. I think I needed to put an end to it, to end things officially, so I wouldn’t get those questions anymore. I think that was the last step I needed to finally set myself free.”

Potapova drew support from her family, her mother Yuliya traveling with her on tour as the 2024 season wrapped up.

“I have incredible parents, who understand me the way I am,” said Potapova, who is currently mounting a defense of her Upper Austria Ladies Linz title. “They never judge me, never judge my choices: ‘Wedding? Ok, we’ll have a wedding. Divorce? Sad, painful, but how we help you?’ Mom had a great relationship with Sasha; I hope she still does. She actually supported both me and Sasha, worked two jobs, so to speak, and I’m grateful to her for it.”

After peaking just outside the Top 20 in 2023, Potapova rebounded from an emotional summer to end 2024 ranked inside the Top 40, setting the stage for what she hopes will be a ligher, brighter 2025.

“Despite everything, I clung onto the last bits of my sanity, walked out on the court and played matches, and I wasn’t even doing that bad. Of course, this year wasn’t as successful as the previous one. But considering the circumstances, this season game me much more than any previous season of my life.”

Click here to watch the full interview with Bolshe.