Although romance is generally forbidden on national sports teams, Zheng Jie and Zhang Yu are not the only athlete-coach couple in China.

Li Na (right) and her husband Jiang Shan

Zheng's teammate Li Na and husband Jiang Shan were the first ones to break the mold. Jiang achieved nothing of note as a player and had no coaching qualifications, but he is widely credited with making Li a more mature athlete.

Considered a maverick on and off the court, the 26-year-old Li had split with five coaches since joining the national team in 2003 and even criticized the Chinese Tennis Association for not providing proper coaches for her.

But having her husband as a coach has changed all that.

"It's a great feeling to have your husband on tour with you all year long," Li said. "He's a lot more than a coach to me. He is my soul mate.

"I love playing in Dubai because I can buy a lot of clothes for him. Maybe that's not the best way to express my appreciation, but I just want to make him feel good," she added.

Yu Yang, husband of badminton singles champion Zhang Ning, is also her practice partner.

The two met when they were in middle school in Liaoning province and got married in 2001. They hid their relationship from sports officials for 10 years, until Zhang won a gold medal in Athens.

"We love each other no matter what we do," Zhang Ning said. "Maybe he is not a champion on the court but, he is a champion in my heart."

Andy Roddick (left) and Brooklyn Decker are engaged. More Photos

Having witnessed the success of athletes like Zheng Jie, Li Na, and Zhang Ning, sport officials are starting to rethink their policy on romance.