Former tennis World No. 1 Ana Ivanović and World Cup-winning footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger have found themselves under intense media scrutiny recently. The pair, who tied the knot in Venice back in 2016, are now dealing with reports of a marital breakdown and separation after spending nearly a decade together.
Ana Ivanović and Bastian Schweinsteiger’s Divorce Filing and Separation Reports
Ivanović filed for divorce from Schweinsteiger at Munich District Court in November after nine years of marriage. Back in July, her representative, Christian Schertz, had announced that the couple had separated, stating that they could no longer make the relationship work due to irreconcilable differences. As part of the split, Ivanović has launched child maintenance proceedings in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, where she lives with their three sons.
The breakdown has been connected by German media to claims of an alleged affair. According to reports published by Bild magazine, Schweinsteiger was reportedly spotted kissing a Bulgarian woman identified only as Silva in June.
The magazine claimed this alleged relationship had started during the summer of 2024. Bunte magazine reported that Silva met Schweinsteiger through their children attending the same school and that the two went on holiday together to Morocco and Mallorca.
The couple has not officially confirmed any of these claims themselves. What German media has reported, however, is that Ivanović was willing to save the marriage initially for the sake of their family. Bunte magazine stated that she decided to pursue a divorce only after Schweinsteiger told her he wanted to be able to “live freely.”
The marriage had already shown signs of trouble back in April when reports emerged that the couple was under strain. Their different lifestyles had apparently become a major issue, with Schweinsteiger’s job as a football analyst for the German broadcaster ARD keeping him travelling regularly throughout Europe.
Meanwhile, Ivanović concentrated on looking after their children and spent much of her time in Serbia with her family in Belgrade, who helped with childcare duties.
A Look at Ivanović and Schweinsteiger’s Relationship
Ivanović and Schweinsteiger’s connection started in September 2014 when the two were brought together by Andrea Petkovic, a German professional tennis player. Schweinsteiger was playing for Bayern Munich at the time, where he had built an impressive career spanning 17 years and had won the UEFA Champions League title in 2013 as well as the FIFA World Cup with Germany in 2014.
The pair’s relationship moved along quickly, and Schweinsteiger eventually proposed to Ivanović with a romantic gesture that saw him travel to Belgrade to ask her to marry him. They got married on July 12, 2016, in Venice, and the wedding was a spectacular affair that got coverage from news outlets all over the world.
Ivanović stepped away from professional tennis towards the end of 2016. She had held the top spot in the world rankings for 12 weeks and collected 15 WTA titles throughout her career, including the 2008 French Open. The pair went on to have three sons together: Luka, born in 2018, Leon in 2019, and Teo, born in 2023.
Over the course of their marriage, both Ivanović and Schweinsteiger shared snippets of their family life with their followers on social media, posting photos from beach holidays and family outings that showed them enjoying life together. Schweinsteiger had transferred to Manchester United in 2015 before Ivanović retired, and he finished playing professionally in 2019 before moving into work as a football analyst.
The pair made their final public appearance together at the Laver Cup in Berlin back in September 2024. They put up a photo from a Christmas market after that, but following that post, they stopped posting about their life together as much.