Katerina Siniakova has proved that she can play well with anyone! The doubles specialist has won nine Grand Slam trophies. She won the first seven with Barbora Krejcikova. Then, this June she teamed with Coco Gauff to win the French Open title. In July, she played with Taylor Townsend to win Wimbledon. But can she win with her ex?

The tennis world was stunned by the unexpected breakup of power couple Tomas Machac and Katerina Siniakova. The duo, who had been together since 2020, had seemed to be a perfect match both on and off the court. Their split has raised questions about the future of their successful doubles partnership, particularly as they prepare to represent their country at the Olympics.

In singles, Siniakova’s dreams came to an abrupt end at the hands of France’s Clara Burel in the first round. However, her mixed doubles participation with Machac, who she dated until recently, is hanging by a thread. All because of their split. 

During her Prague Open tournament, the 28-year-old player announced her breakup with Machac. As the news broke out, queries regarding her Olympic participation with Machac in mixed doubles were inevitable. But Siniakova declared that she would continue her professional journey with Machac at the Olympics. “Yes, it’s true, but this is my private matter. Of course we will play, we are professionals,” she said before the start of the Games. Well, neither of the two revealed the reason behind their split-up.

Their relationship began during the Covid-19 pandemic when they were in Australia. Their last public appearance as a couple was at the Indian Wells tournament earlier this year. The subsequent absence of joint social media posts was a stark departure from their usual habit of sharing intimate moments online. Fans were quick to notice the change, fueling speculation about potential strain in their relationship.

Machac, who once addressed their relationship publicly for the first time on social media with the caption, “My love,” has now remained silent on the whole matter. Besides, if one looks at Siniakova’s Olympic record history, her gold medal in doubles (in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics) shines brighter. But she was yet to achieve the same feat in the mixed doubles. 

Fresh update as of Aug 2: The Czech Republic duo of Siniakova and Machac clinched the mixed doubles gold medal at the Paris Olympics, defeating the Chinese pair of Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen in a thrilling match that culminated in a 10-8 match tiebreaker on Friday.

After their recent doubles win, the duo was seen hugging and kissing each other. Their display of affection has ignited speculation about a possible reconciliation. When a reporter boldly asked about their current relationship during the post-match press conference, Machac’s visible irritation was a clear indication of his desire to keep their personal life private. “That’s our personal life, so you don’t need to know that,” Siniakova said with a chuckle. “We like when you are confused.”

What followed was Machac’s enigmatic response that left tennis fans in a perpetual state of speculation. “This is top secret,” he teased. But Siniakova has demonstrated that she can win with anyone! However, Machac had previously revealed that he is starting to build his self-confidence and work harder than ever.

Tomas Machac discloses the power of self-belief in tennis!

Machac is enjoying his 2024 season by acquiring his highest career rank, World No. 33! The current No. 2 Czech player has kick-started his doubles career too, with an amazing record of No. 56! Machac’s love for tennis began at the age of eight, and now he is stepping onto the grand platform of tennis. Quite impressive, right? The 23-year-old player credits his self-belief as the driving force behind his success.

“I’m starting to believe in myself a little bit. It’s not easy, you need to work, work, work. Even if you lose three matches in a row, four matches in a row, you need to believe in yourself,” Machac said earlier this season.

Although he made his Olympic debut in 2021, the Czech player failed to move towards his goal of a gold medal. But this year, he has made it to the second round of the Games in singles, while also keeping his eyes fixed on mixed doubles for a medal too. However, his mixed doubles win at the Olympics came at the cost of his friendship.

The duo defeated Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen, right? Well, Machac’s two best results in men’s doubles at Slam events came with Zhang as his partner this year. Well, it seems Machac too is learning to play and win with just about anyone. What do you think?