Russian tennis pro Maria Sharapova has never been short of male fans, but there's only one man she cares about.

Maria, 28, and Grigor Dimitrov, 23, have been inseparable since they started dating in 2012 and now in an interview with the Financial Times, she reveals what makes their relationship work.

The former No.1 player, with five Grand Slam titles, says that a shared understanding of the game and life on the tennis circuit is key to their romantic success.

Much like Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, who have now been married for 14 years, Maria and Bulgarian-born Grigor met on the tennis tour circuit.

Maria, who as well playing pro tennis since she was a teenager also runs her own confectionery and lifestyle company called Sugarpova, revealed that she and Grigor's shared understanding of the game is what makes the relationship so strong.

Bulgarian-born Grigor is ranked as the world's number 11 seed.

Maria, who hopes to triumph at Wimbledon this summer, told the FT: 'It's nice to have someone who really understands and respects [what I do] and knows the drill.'