Maria Sharapova opens up about 2-year-old son Theo's interest in tennis

Maria Sharapova's two-year-old son, Theo, already has a racquet, but the Russian remains unsure if he has any interest in the sport yet. She mentioned there's still time before a decision needs to be made.

Sharapova welcomed her son Theodore in 2022 with her fiancé Alexander Gilkes. Most recently, the family made an appearance at the Wimbledon grounds where the Russian proudly showed her son her name on the board of winners.

During a recent Q&A session with her followers on Instagram, the five-time Grand Slam champion was asked if she was going to introduce her son Theo to tennis anytime soon.

“Will you introduce Theo to tennis?”

The former World No. 1 responded:

“He has a racquet. But whether or not he is showing much interest is TBD, there's time.”

Maria Sharapova's Instagram Story. (Source: Instagram @mariasharapova)

Sharapova created a huge buzz in 2004 when she defeated Serena Willaims in the final of the Grasscourt Slam as a 17-year-old. She was also present in the stands at the 2024 US Open as she attended the women's singles semifinal between Aryna Sabalenka and Emma Navarro.

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Maria Sharapova explains how tennis has helped her in motherhood with her son Theo

Maria Sharapova and her fiancé Alexander Gilkes at Wimbledon 2024. (Image: Getty)

Maria Sharapova's career spanned 19 years from 2001 to 2020. She won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2004. Next, she won the 2006 US Open, the 2008 Australian Open, the French Open in 2012 and 2014, and the silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

She earned the World No. 1 spot for the first time in 2005 at 18 and held the position for the final time in 2012. Her career involved immense discipline and scheduling and she has used these to her advantage in motherhood. In an interview with PEOPLE in June this year, Sharapova said:

"I think in some ways there were so many elements of my sport that I could apply into motherhood," Sharapova said.

"Just the discipline of the schedules and routines and seeing the benefit of that through their behavior and through their eyes has also been really helpful. When I was playing, knowing where I was going to be and when I was going to nap and when I was going to eat helped me so much with my energy," she added.

Sharapova also believes she entered motherhood at the right moment in her life.

“I don’t know if any woman ever knows when it’s time to step into a new phase or motherhood, but I feel like I made the choice at the right time,” she said.

“I feel like I have a healthy distance from tennis. I was ready for a new chapter in life,” Sharapova added.

Since 2018, Sharapova has been with British businessman Alexander Gilkes. In February 2020, the Russian embraced retirement from tennis and in December, Sharapova and Gilkes revealed they were engaged. Their son Theodore was born on 1 July 2022.