Tennis great Maria Sharapova has stunned fans with the announcement of the birth of her first child, a baby boy named Theodore.
Sharapova sent the tennis world into a frenzy back in April when she revealed she and fiancee Alexander Gilkes were expecting their first child.
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Sharing a photo of the family with baby Theodore for the first time, Sharapova said the new chapter in the couple’s lives was the ‘most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift our little family could ask for’.
Sharapova and English businessman Gilkes, both 42, have been partners since 2018.
The tennis icon showed off her baby bump in a photo on social media to celebrate her birthday earlier this year.
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Gilkes is one of the most connected men in the UK and reportedly became friends with Prince William when they were both at Eton College.
He is also said to be close to Prince Harry, who also went to the school.
The British businessman – who has a reported net worth of $20 million – is also the ex-husband of Meghan Markle’s best friend Misha Nonoo.
He and five-time grand slam winner Sharapova celebrated their engagement back in 2020, with Gilkes reportedly splashing out on a $523,000 engagement ring.
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Sharapova, a former World No.1, retired from tennis in February 2020 at the age of 32.
“How do you leave behind the only life you‘ve ever known?” she wrote to fans at the time.
“How do you walk away from the courts you‘ve trained on since you were a little girl, the game that you love – one which brought you untold tears and unspeakable joys – a sport where you found a family, along with fans who rallied behind you for more than 28 years?