A Summer of Stars How Stars Luna Aldridge and Kieran Alexander Alvarez Fell in Love Last Summer
June of Next Year
[Classified Detail Contingent Upon Publication: Luna Aldridge agrees to do the article if RBY donates to Serve & Support. Kieran Alexander Alvarez agrees to do the article if Luna does it.]
THE WORLD IS infatuated with Luna Aldridge and Kieran Alexander Alvarez. Luna Aldridge, pro tennis player with fifteen Grand Slams under her belt, and Kieran Alexander Alvarez, Academy Award winner and star of the box office hit Saving September, are Hollywood’s It Couple.
But if you’re a hopeless romantic, then there’s no question why you’re interested in them.
Growing up watching nineties romantic comedies, reading novels with protective protagonists, and listening to music about falling in love, it’s not often you see reality mimic fiction when it comes to romance.
However, four years ago, a handsome actor met a beautiful tennis player in New York City outside our Annual RBY After-Party in the pouring rain, and the romantic story was written.
Just last year, their relationship was confirmed when they were spotted together in England before Wimbledon.
And since their kiss in Paris, the internet can’t get enough of them.
With them in attendance at this year’s RBY After-Party, I had a rare chance to get a glimpse into their lives as they got ready for the event. And we had a lot to discuss, starting with Aldridge’s scandal with pro tennis player and ex-husband, Jeremiah Evans.
There were many questions surrounding their short-lived marriage, especially when Evans came forward to talk about the cause of their divorce.
Through it all, Aldridge remained quiet, focusing on her career.
However, after last year’s US Open, Tennis Today’s “Women in Tennis” feature shifted the conversation.
The magazine gathered twenty female pros, from the ages of nineteen to thirty-six, in a room to discuss what it’s like to be a woman in professional tennis.
The moderator immediately questioned Aldridge about her public divorce, and the women stepped forward to support her, flipping the narrative.
“Isn’t this article supposed to be about her, and her sport?
And you’d rather ask her about a man who has dedicated his time to fueling a hate campaign against her?
” Tunisia questioned. Others were quick to share Tunisia’s sentiment.
Shortly after the article was released, a credible source told Pop Menace that Evans had actually cheated on Aldridge, triggering the divorce.
When I asked her how that article changed her life, she responded, “Not like people may think. Before that interview, I had no idea how much the other women were struggling with similar issues of public scrutiny because I was so isolated. It forced me to look outside myself as a competitor and gain friendships within the sport. But at the same time, while it’s nice that strangers don’t hate me anymore, they don’t matter.
I try not to place any value on what people outside my circle have to say. ”
One of the most notable people inside Aldridge’s circle is fellow tennis pro Ava Williams, who was also in the feature. Since their face-off at the US Open last year, the two have formed a friendship that more than just the tennis community is obsessed with.
They’re consistently seen together enjoying New York’s nightlife, doubled over with laughter. When I showed Aldridge a photo of her and Williams in the West Village and asked what they were talking about, she laughed. “Business, of course,” she responded.
That business she’s referring to is the nonprofit Serve & Support, founded by her and Williams earlier this year. Their goal is to build opportunities and create a supportive space for young women and girls from low-income communities in New York interested in playing tennis.
When she’s not visiting schools with her pro tennis business partner, she’s either practicing six days a week, traveling for tournaments, attending movie premieres every few months with her boyfriend, holding dinner parties for her management and PR teams, or searching for the best wallpaper for the room she’s redecorating.
“We’re decorating,” Alvarez, who’s begun using his full name as a tribute to his family, corrected.
I asked Alvarez about the key to making a relationship work alongside a busy career. He responded, “I don’t think there is any secret. It’s just wanting to be around your partner all the time.”
He shared that they’re starting to weave traditions into their work lives, like planning to visit Cannes, France, after Roland-Garros, to ensure they don’t forget the things they love.
I asked where their favorite spot was to visit but they refused to share, nervous it wouldn’t be a secret any longer.
Alvarez, who’s originally from Valencia, Spain, also spends time with his family every other month. He switches back and forth between flying to Spain with Aldridge and his family staying in New York.
When the couple is home in New York with days off, they spend their free time walking Posh Spice, their dog, named after—you guessed it—the Spice Girl.
They enjoy racing each other on the beach, staying at Aldridge’s childhood home in Rhode Island, watching old movies, and even playing tennis together.
“Does she go easy on you?” I asked Alvarez.
“Of course she doesn’t,” he responded. “But it’s always more entertaining that way.”
As our discussion came to an end and they prepared to leave, I got a moment to simply watch the couple exist.
And all I can say is that when they’re in the same room, there’s no world outside of them. Kieran is captivated by Luna’s presence, hanging on her every word and every moment of silence. There’s no question that he views her with the same magic the stars are made of.