Maria Sharapova's fiance Alexander shares adorable moment of son Theo listening to 'Queen of Jazz' Ella Fitzgerald

Alexander Gilkes, the husband of five-time Major winner Maria Sharapova, has shared an adorable image of their son, Theo. British entrepreneur Gilkes has been engaged to Sharapova since 2020, and Theo was born in July 2022. Gilkes made his fortune in the British property market, founding the online auction app Paddle8 in 2011.

Gilkes subsequently sold the business to The Native in 2018, and went on to create his Squared Circles venture studio firm alongside Paddle co-founder Osman Khan. The 45-year-old was once awarded a "Most Creative Entrepreneurs of 2017" award by Fast Company magazine and also featured in the best-dressed lists of fashion magazines Vanity Fair and GQ.

Gilkes took to his Instagram account to post an affectionate picture of his son Theo watching TV. He captioned the image with the show Theo was watching - jazz icon Ella Fitzgerald singing a children's favorite tune, Old MacDonald's Farm:

"Ella Fitzgerald does Old Macdonald..."

EAlexander Gilkes Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/stories/gilkesa/?hl=en)

Maria Sharapova was winding up her tennis career when she met Gilkes in 2018. She'd reached the French Open quarterfinals that year, but by 2019 had dropped out of the world's top 100. She officially retired in 2020.

---

Maria Sharapova compared the discipline of being a fiance to Gilkes and mother to Theo, to the discipline of being a world-class tennis professional

Day Three: The Championships - Wimbledon 2024 - Source: Getty

Maria Sharapova has often expressed her satisfaction at settling down and becoming a mother after retiring from tennis. In 2020, she posted a loving message on Instagram to Gilkes soon after they announced their engagement:

"I said yes from the first day we met."

EScreenshot of Maria Sharapova Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/CI6Bk9rMifU/?utm_source=ig_embed)

After Theo came along two years later, the Russian-born tennis legend moved on from her tennis career and concentrated on her own entrepreneurial and business ventures. She was involved with the Supergoop sunscreen brand and wellness firm Therabody. She's also invested in such ventures as Tonal, Moonpay, Clio Snacks and UFC.

In June, Sharapova spoke with PEOPLE magazine about how the discipline of world-level tennis helped her be a mother to Theo:

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

Gilkes' heartwarming image of his son suggests that the couple's business interests don't interfere with their parenting. Sharapova has stepped away from tennis completely and seems to be enjoying life as a businesswoman and mother.