For 31 years, she’s stood beside Todd Woodbridge — now he reveals what his wife quietly gave up along the way
“I butt in because it’s a rude question”
After more than three decades together, Todd Woodbridge says his marriage to Natasha is built on something that is increasingly rare.
The Australian tennis great and Tipping Point host has been married to Natasha for 31 years, and when people ask what his wife does for a living, he admits he often feels compelled to step in.
Not because the question itself is complicated — but because, in his eyes, it completely overlooks everything Natasha did during the years they built their life together.
“Tash is an incredibly strong-willed competitive woman.”
And then comes the question he dislikes.
“Oh Tash, what do you do for a job?”
Todd says he considers it “a rude question”.
The role Natasha played behind the scenes
For much of Todd’s professional tennis career, Natasha was right there beside him.
But her contribution wasn’t simply travelling from tournament to tournament.
Todd says she became his partner, wife, psychologist, organised their travel, managed their home and helped raise their children while he concentrated almost entirely on tennis.
“That was a job on its own.”
It is a part of their story Todd clearly feels strongly about.
While his career took him around the world, Natasha was helping hold together the life they were building away from the court.
They were teenagers when it all began
Todd and Natasha first started dating when they were just 18 and 16.
Todd met her through her sister, former Australian tennis player Nicole Provis, and Natasha eventually joined him on the road as he pursued his professional career.
By the time she was 19, she was travelling alongside him.
For the next 17 years, their lives revolved around tennis, with the couple spending around 38 weeks of each year travelling.
They married when they were 21 and 24, around the same period they left Australia so Todd could pursue his tennis ambitions overseas.
For Todd, the commitment they made at such a young age remains one of the most remarkable parts of their story.
“This was it. This was the commitment and I think that’s pretty rare.”
Life on the road wasn’t always glamorous
From the outside, travelling the world as a professional tennis player might sound like an extraordinary life.
But Todd is quick to point out that there was another side to it.
Natasha had to navigate the pressure, disappointment and emotional swings that came with professional sport — including losses, ranking changes and the inevitable ups and downs of a long tennis career.
Todd admits that none of it would have been easy.
“It’s very easy to move in and out of relationships.”
For him, the fact that Natasha remained beside him through those years is something he deeply values
“It was managing all of those pieces of our puzzle and I’m really proud of her.”
Their greatest achievement away from tennis
Together, Todd and Natasha became parents to Zara, 25, and Beau, 23.
Todd says he never pushed either of his children to follow him into tennis.
Instead, both have forged their own paths — something that has become another source of pride for their father.
Beau has pursued the performing arts and graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with a Master of Arts degree.
Zara has followed her passion for golf, representing the Golf Victoria state team while studying nutrition and working towards a future as a registered dietitian.
Now the children have left home, life looks different
With their children now living away from home, Todd and Natasha have entered a new chapter together.
And surprisingly, their shared passion has taken them back into sport — although not quite the sport that defined most of Todd’s life.
They’ve taken up golf.
Todd says the couple now plans some of their holidays around golf courses, combining travel with time on the fairways.
He even joked about asking Natasha whether she’d like to visit the Maldives.
Her response?
She loved the idea — but immediately pointed out that there was no golf course there.
Todd couldn’t help but laugh.
“She’s a sporting woman at heart.”
The couple did eventually make it to the Maldives, proving that perhaps even a holiday without golf can still make the cut.
31 years later, the answer is surprisingly simple
Looking back on more than three decades of marriage, Todd admits he isn’t quite sure where all those years went.
But there is no hesitation when he reflects on what they have built together.
“That’s a long time, isn’t it?”
Then came a smile:
“It’s a good effort.”
Behind that light-hearted comment is a relationship that began when they were teenagers, survived years of professional pressure and constant travel, raised two children and has now entered a quieter chapter filled with shared adventures.
For Todd, perhaps the greatest part of 31 years isn’t simply that Natasha stayed beside him.
It’s that he understands just how much she gave up, carried and contributed while he chased his dream.
And that may be why one seemingly ordinary question — “What does Tash do for a job?” — still doesn’t sit quite right with him.