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Former tennis star Maria Sharapova shared a heartwarming picture of her fiancé Alexander Gilkes and their son Theodore to wish Gilkes a happy birthday.
Gilkes is a British businessman and co-founder of the online auction house Paddle8. He and Sharapova got engaged in December 2020 after two years of dating. Sharapova announced her pregnancy on her 35th birthday in April 2022 and the couple welcomed their first child together, Theodore, on July 1, 2022.
On Sunday, July 16, the retired tennis star posted the picture of Gilkes and Theodore on her Instagram story. In the picture, Gilkes can be seen sitting on a couch with Theodore on his lap, while Sharapova shows the birthday card she and their son had made for him. The card reads:
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“Happy birthday papa, Love you sooo much… Your little son.”
Sharapova captioned her Instagram story:
“Happy Birthday papa bear 🌞 We love you 🥰.”
Maria Sharapova is one of the most successful tennis players of all time, having won five Grand Slam titles and an Olympic silver medal. She retired from professional tennis in February 2020 after that year's Australian Open.
Sharapova has dated several celebrities, including fellow tennis player Grigor Dimitrov and singer Adam Levine. She met Gilkes in 2018 and they have been together ever since.
Gilkes was previously married to fashion designer Misha Nonoo, who is a close friend of Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.
"It's such a beautiful feeling to have, that you can have inspiration on other people" - Maria Sharapova on being an athlete
Maria Sharapova believes that during her prime as a tennis player, she was more than just an athlete. Instead, she saw herself as a source of entertainment for the masses.
The former World No. 1 expressed her realization that tennis holds significance beyond mere victories. Sharapova acknowledged her role as an entertainer, emphasizing how her exceptional performances could uplift and bring joy to people.
"I feel like when you're an athlete you form a connection with people and fans. I realized when I was a little older that ultimately I was an entertainer. I wasn't just doing this for myself to win, but when I when on to the court and I was having a really bad day, there could be somebody in the audience that was having a bad day themselves," she said.
Sharapova also spoke about the profound effect of delivering remarkable performances to the audience, emphasizing the motivational impact it had on people.
"That impact you try to forget because there's a lot of pressure with it but ultimately it's such a beautiful feeling to have that you can have inspiration on other people," she added.
