"Is this gonna be allowed?" - Maria Sharapova pokes fun at fiance Alexander Gilkes' 'modern' take on 'classic casual' footwear for Wimbledon

Maria Sharapova teased her fiance, Alexander Gilkes, for his 'modern' take on 'classic casual' footwear that he plans to wear at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The former World No.1 and Gilkes got engaged in December 2020.

Sharapova has won five Grand Slam singles titles in her career - winning the Australian Open (2008), the Wimbledon Championships (2004), and the US Open (2006) once and claimed two titles at the French Open (2012 and 2014). The Russian also earned a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and held the World No.1 ranking.

Recently, Maria Sharapova confirmed her attendance at this year's grasscourt Grand Slam. Since then, she has taken to social media to share a humorous video featuring her fiance, British businessman Alexander Gilkes, trying on an unusual pair of shoes that looked like house slippers, along with a shirt and trousers for Wimbledon.

In the video, the former World No.1 playfully questions Gilkes about wearing the house slippers at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, known for its formal dress code.

"Um, is this gonna be allowed in the club?" Sharapova asked.

Gilkes responded with a witty remark, calling the slippers his "modern" take on "classic casual" footwear.

"It’s a bit modern, classic casual," Gilkes said.

"They might ask you to go get a new pair of shoes," she added.

"Can't wait for a London's membership club take on "Classic Casual", "Sharapova captioned her Instagram story.

Screengrab of Maria Sharapova's Instagram story

Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes went public with their relationship in 2018. Two years later, in 2020, they became engaged. Their first child, a son whom they named Theodore, was born in July 2022.

Maria Sharapova: "Wimbledon in my eyes growing up was ‘The Event, The Tournament’"

Maria Sharapova with her Wimbledon Championships trophy in 2004

Maria Sharapova won her first Grand Slam title at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships when she was just 17 years old.

She was seeded thirteenth in the tournament and defeated the likes of qualifier Yuliya Beygelzimer, Anne Keothavong, Daniela Hantuchova, 31st seed Amy Frazier, 11th seed Ai Sugiyama in the quarterfinals, and fifth seed Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals to secure her spot in the final.

In the championship match, Sharapova faced top seed and two-time defending champion Serena Williams, whom she defeated 6–1, 6–4 to claim the title.

Last year, Maria Sharapova reflected on her Wimbledon title victory at the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast. The former World No.1 described the final match as a moment where she felt like "everything was on the line" and that she had to win.

She revealed playing at Wimbledon had always been a dream for her as growing up she considered competing at SW19 to be larger than life itself and thought that Wimbledon was, "the event, the tournament."

"There was so much on the line in that match… one of the biggest reasons was because it was Wimbledon. It was a moment itself when I really felt the weight. It was the fact that Wimbledon in my eyes growing up was ‘The Event, The Tournament,’ the place where as a professional you want to end up, you want those French doors to open to Centre Court," Sharapova said.

Sharapova also shared that during the match, she experienced what being "in the zone," a state of mind that seasoned athletes often talk about, felt like.

"And it did and it just happened to be the final for me. It’s interesting it was one of the first few times in my career as a young girl that I felt what it was like to be in the zone. You know, when athletes speak about being in the flow, in the zone, I had that moment in the middle of the tournament, and it was in the fourth round," she added.

Maria Sharapova had faced Serena Williams 22 times on the WTA Tour but had only managed to win two matches against her.