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Former tennis star Maria Sharapova took to social media last week to announce the birth of her first child, a baby boy named Theodore.
The 35-year-old Russian posted a photograph of the new family member along with herself and fiance Alexander Gilkes, a British businessman. The couple started dating in 2018 and announced their engagement by the end of 2020.
Expressing her joy on Instagram, Sharapova welcomed her son into the world, calling him "the most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift."
"The most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift our little family could ask for," Sharapova wrote.
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Theodore was born on July 1 and it didn't take too long for the former World No. 1 to recover and step out following her son's birth. She recently posted a photo of herself on her Instagram stories, where she can be seen wearing an athletic outfit and standing on rugged terrain. The retired star said that she hiked after a long period of time.
"First proper hike in a long while. In altitude. Don't recommend it," Sharapova wrote.
A few photographs of the Russian also emerged as she walked the streets of New York City alongside her mother Yelena Sharapova. Fans on Twitter were shocked to see how fit Maria Sharapova looked just a few days after giving birth to her first child.
"I hope Tatjana inspired her," a user wrote, referring to Germany's Tatjana Maria, who reached the semifinals at this year's Wimbledon after giving birth to two daughters.
"It doesn't even look like she gave birth this month," another fan tweeted.
Here are a few more reactions:
"Raducanu should get some advice from Maria Sharapova" - Marion Bartoli
A 17-year-old Maria Sharapova took the tennis world by storm in 2004 when she won the Wimbledon Championships by defeating Serena Williams in the title clash. The triumph resulted in instant fame for the Russian as she captured the attention of the entire world, attracting lucrative sponsorship deals.
17 years later, Britain's Emma Raducanu found herself in a similar situation. The youngster became the first player in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier. She beat Leylah Fernandez in the 2021 US Open finals at the age of 18.
However, Raducanu has not been able to find success since then. She has struggled with a few injuries and fans have raised concerns about her multiple endorsement contracts distracting her from concentrating on the game.
Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli has advised Raducanu to seek help from Sharapova. According to Bartoli, Sharapova handled the sudden attention very well and hence went on to win four more Majors.
"For Emma, because she won so young, obviously with all the contracts and sponsorships she has signed, the pressure she has to face - I mean, I cannot start to imagine it. It is so massive," Bartoli was quoted as saying by Eurosport earlier this month.
"It takes someone so special to handle it. She probably should maybe get some advice from Maria Sharapova, who has been able to do it. It took Maria a little bit of time before she got the second grand slam but then she went on to five in total. Maria was able to handle it perfectly," Bartoli added.
