By Alberto Amalfi | Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova announced she's pregnant expecting her first child with fiancée Alexander Gilkes.
Photo credit: Getty
Maria Sharapova is welcoming a new title: Motherhood.
The former world No. 1 celebrated her 35th birthday sharing joyous news—she's pregnant expecting her first child with fiancée Alexander Gilkes.
"Precious beginnings!!!" a beaming Sharapova wrote in an Instagram post accompanied by a photo of her on the beach cradling her baby bump. "🤍👼🏻 Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty ☺️🐣🎂"
The happy news comes about 16 months after Sharapova announced her engagement to Gilkes, a British art dealer who was once married to Meghan Markle’s close friend Mischa Nonoo. Gilkes' four-year marriage ended in 2017.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova was previously engaged to NBA player Sasha Vujačić back in 2011. That relationship concluded back in 2012.
“Thank you for making me a very, very happy boy,” Gilkes posted on Instagram following the couple's engagement announcement. “I look forward to a lifetime of loving you, and learning from you Maria Sharapova."
During her playing days, Sharapova captured 36 singles titles, nearly $39 million in prize money, served as Russian flag bearer at the Olympic Games, became a tennis fashion icon and exerted her marketing muscle as a face for several blue-chip sponsors, including Porsche, Nike and Head.
Prior to her 2016 doping ban for testing positive for the banned substance meldonium, Sharapova topped Forbes’ list as the world’s highest-paid female athlete for 11 consecutive years. Forbes reports Sharapova retired with an estimated $325 million in career earnings from prize money, endorsements and appearances.
Since her retirement from the pro circuit on February 26th, 2020, Sharapova has been busy running several businesses, including Sugarpova, her candy company.