Retired tennis superstar Maria Sharapova announced on social media that she was pregnant with her first child on her 35th birthday.
Sharapova, a former World Number One tennis player, revealed that she expects her first child with fiancé Alexander Gilkes on Instagram, per The Independent.
The Russian athlete posted a photo of herself on a beach, showcasing her baby bump, signifying the beginning of another phase in her life: motherhood.
"Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty," the tennis icon wrote in the caption.
Friends and relatives, including actor Lily Collins and Australian model Lara Worthington, congratulated the couple in the comments section.
Since December 2020, Sharapova has been engaged to Gilkes, a British businessman and friend of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Legendary Career
In February 2020, the five-time grand slam champion announced her retirement from tennis. According to Sports Illustrated, Sharapova is one of only ten women to win all five Grand Slam titles in their career, which she accomplished within the span of ten years. She is the only Russian tennis player who has made such an achievement.
Sharapova wrote in Vanity Fair about her decision to retire that she will miss playing tennis every day.
"In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life," she wrote and added that she will miss her team, coaches, and the "moments sitting" with her father on the practice court bench.
In the year of her retirement, Forbes ranked Sharapova at Number 87 on the Forbes' 100 America's Self-Made Women list in 2020, with a net worth of $200 million.
For 11 years in a row, the former tennis player was Forbes' highest-paid female athlete in the world.
CNN reported that Sharapova had amassed more than $38 million in prize money during her career based on information on the Women's Tennis Association's website.
Sharapova's last tournament competition was at the 2020 Australian Open, where Donna Veki knocked her out in the first round.
After her stellar career, she continued working on her Sugarpova business and the Maria Sharapova Foundation charity.
Who Is Alexander Gilkes?
Sharapova's husband-to-be expressed appreciation in his post: "Thank you for making me a very, very happy boy. I look forward to a lifetime of loving you and learning from you @mariasharapova."
Gilkes, a British businessman, was a guest at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 and Princess Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank in 2018.
The 42-year-old mogul is also the co-founder and president of 'Paddle8,' an online auction house.
Apart from being a well-known art trader, Alexander Gilkes has also established himself as one of the world's most stylish entrepreneurs per The Famous People. He has been featured in best-dressed lists in fashion magazines such as Vanity Fair and GQ.
Gilkes's parents are well-educated and rich. In the United Kingdom, his father, Jeremy, is a well-known dermatologist. Robyn, his mother, worked at the University of Oxford's Department of Russian and Eastern Europe.
Alexander began dating Maria Sharapova, an international tennis player, in January 2018. The couple has been seen enjoying time together several times since then.
