Tennis star Beatriz Haddad Maia will marry her childhood sweetheart after he proposed to her with a time capsule that proved he has wanted to tie the knot with her since he was 10 years old.
The Brazilian star showed her Instagram followers images of what was in the capsule after saying yes to her man, neurosurgeon Alex Daoud, recently.
Daoud presented his wife-to-be with a Tiffany & Co diamond ring accompanied by a copy of the time capsule, which he wrote on August 7th, 2006.
In it, he penned a message ‘to future me’ outlining how he wanted his life to turn out.
Daoud said his favourite things at the time were ‘fighting taekwondo and playing soccer’, and added that he wanted to be a neurosurgeon when he grew up.
The capsule finished with the entry, ‘My dreams are: I want to help people and I want to marry Bia.’
Tennis star Beatriz Haddad Maia is pictured with her fiancé, neurosurgeon Alex Daoud. The pair have known each other since they were children
Daoud proposed by giving his partner a copy of a time capsule he wrote almost 20 years ago, revealing that his dream was to ‘marry Bia’ (pictured)
Haddad Maia reacted to the proposal by calling Daoud ‘still that boy who gives me the same butterflies in my stomach as when we used to play soccer at age six’
Haddad Maia returned the loving gesture with a heartfelt message of her own when she revealed her engagement on Instagram on Friday.
‘After so many years, you’re still that boy who gives me the same butterflies in my stomach as when we used to play soccer at age six,’ she wrote, translated from Portuguese into English.
‘And of course, I’ve never forgotten when we were nine years old, when you talked to my cousin and asked me to be your girlfriend in the [football] club’s playground, and I didn’t want to.
‘I confess, I don’t regret it. Imagine if this story had taken a different turn. What we lived, learned and achieved to reunite and reconnect today might not have happened.
‘All of that was more than 20 years ago, and there’s nothing like time to remind us that love is the most important part.
‘You continue to be the same boy who wins me over every day with your love, care and affection.
‘I hope I can take care of you forever and that we will continue fighting for our dreams together.’
Her post also featured a series of childhood photos of her with Daoud as they played football alongside each other, as well as recent shots of them, including one in which she’s smiling as she shows off her engagement band.
The incredibly romantic news has been liked almost 65,000 times online
Haddad Maia (pictured playing at Wimbledon this month) became the first Brazilian woman to break into the top 10 in the world singles rankings
The post has been liked almost 65,000 times.
Haddad Maia is currently ranked 134 in the world in singles and doubles, after becoming the first Brazilian woman to break into the top 10 in singles back in June 2023.
Her career highlights include reaching the semifinals of the women’s singles at the French Open in 2023, and the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2024.
She reached the final of the women’s doubles at the 2022 Australian Open, where she and partner Anna Danilina lost in three sets to Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková.
Haddad Maia first turned pro in 2014 after earning a wildcard entry for the Rio Open.
