Thai tennis player Paradorn and beauty queen split

Paradorn Srichaphan (left) and Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova of Canada in this April 24, 2007 file photo

BANGKOK - IT'S game over for retired Thai tennis star Paradorn Srichaphan and his wife, former Miss Universe Natalie Glebova, who are separating after three years of marriage.

The couple said in a statement on Thursday that they decided to split last July because work commitments had kept them apart.

'Over the past few years, responsibilities and work turned our married life in a different direction. However, we still care for each other and we are still good friends,' the couple said in the statement issued by their publicists.

The former No. 9-ranked tennis player and Canadian pageant queen have launched beauty products, diet supplements and a Bangkok restaurant together. They said in the statement they planned to continue to do business with one another.

The pair met at the Thailand Open on the ATP Tour in 2006, a year after Glebova was crowned Miss Universe. They quickly became one of Bangkok's most recognisable celebrity couples and were married in September 2007, the year that Paradorn's tennis career ended due to a wrist injury.

Paradorn's father and former coach, Chanachai Srichaphan, was quoted in Thai newspapers as saying the couple continued to share the same house but no longer as husband and wife

Posted in: Natalie Glebova