Serbian national player Aleksandra Uzelac was among the special spectators in "Arena 8888" during Bulgaria's 3:0 (25:17, 25:19, 25:18) victory over North Macedonia at the start of EuroVolley 2026.
Uzelac watched the match from the stands, and the interesting moment came immediately after the last point. Simeon Nikolov went to her and the two embraced, with the Bulgarian national player this time not hiding the closeness between them in any way.
The story has its beginning in the summer, and that's when the first serious rumors about the relationship between the two appeared.
During the Women's Nations League tournament in Belgrade, brothers Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov appeared in the stands for the match between Serbia and Bulgaria. Their presence sparked significant interest because Alex Nikolov had already been linked to Serbian national player Hena Kurtagić – a middle blocker for Vero Volley Milano.
However, a second intrigue then emerged – concerning Moni Nikolov and Aleksandra Uzelac. The two were linked in Serbian media and social networks, but neither of them had publicly confirmed their relationship.
Curiosity intensified even further after Uzelac was spotted in Belgrade in the company of the Nikolov brothers' mother – Maya Nikolova. Even then, however, this could only be taken as another clue, not as confirmation of a relationship.
Two months later, the situation turned around. If in July Moni was in the stands in Belgrade during a match of the Serbian national team, now Aleksandra Uzelac came to Sofia to support him in Bulgaria's first match at the European Championship. She was accompanied by the current European champion Derya Cebecioğlu.
After the match, there was no longer any need to look for separate shots from the stands. Moni went directly to Uzelac, and the subsequent embrace showed the closeness between the two much more eloquently than the rumors that accompanied them during the summer.

An interesting detail is that Hena Kurtagić, with whom Aleksandar Nikolov is linked, was not seen in the hall this time.
Thus, a story that began with the presence of the two Nikolov brothers in the stands in Belgrade received its natural continuation in Sofia. Only this time the roles were reversed – Aleksandra Uzelac was in the stands for Moni Nikolov.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov