Maria Sharapova Announces Birth Of Baby Boy: 'Rewarding Gift For Our Little Family'

Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one tennis player, announced Friday she has given birth to a baby boy named Theodore. He is the first child of the 35-year-old Russian tennis star and British businessman Alexander Gilkes, 42, who announced their engagement in December 2020.

Taking to her official Twitter handle, the tennis star wrote: "The most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift our little family could ask for." In the post, she indicated in Roman numerals that Theodore was born on July 1.

Sharapova, who had revealed in April that she was pregnant, is among only ten women to complete the career Grand Slam by capturing all four major singles crowns at least once.

The tennis legend won her first Grand Slam title in 2004. After securing four more titles, she announced her retirement from the sport at the age of 32 while stating, “I’m new to this, so please forgive me. Tennis- I’m saying goodbye.” She last played at the Australian Open 2020, where she was defeated by Serena Williams.

Speaking about what she planned to do, with her tennis career behind her, Sharapova said, “Tennis showed me the world–and it showed me what I was made of. It’s how I tested myself and how I measured my growth. And so in whatever I might choose for my next chapter, my next mountain, I’ll still be pushing. I’ll still be climbing. I’ll still be growing.”

Back in 2004, at the age of 17, Sharapova won the Grand Slam in Wimbledon and later went on to win the French Open twice, and the Australian and French Open.

In 2016, Sharapova tested positive for the drug meldonium and was banned for two years – later reduced to 15 months on appeal – and returned to action in April 2017.

Sharapova is also an investor in the famous sweets brand, Sugarpova, which was launched in 2012. In an interview with Glamour, she said, “I love being a female businesswoman in the candy world because it’s completely different to my day job.”

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