Maria Sharapova Expecting First Child With Alexander Gilkes

Former tennis champion Maria Sharapova confirmed that she and her husband Alexander Gilkes are expecting their first baby together. It was also a doubly special occasion for Sharapova because the announcement also lined up with her 35th birthday.

She joked in her Instagram post showing a baby bump, “Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty.”

Sharapova and Gilkes, 42, first began dating in 2018 and confirmed their engagement in 2020. Gilkes is a businessman in the fine art world and ran the online auction house Paddle8 from 2011 to 2018.

The British Gilkes has some interesting connections to the British Royal family as well. Before meeting Sharapova, He was married once previously to British-Bahraini designer Misha Nonoo, who is a close friend of Meghan Markle and thought to be the one who introduced her to her now-husband, Prince Harry.

Sharapova stepped away from her tennis career in 2020 after years of overwhelming domination in the sport. She is one of ten women and the only Russian to win the coveted career Grand Slam. She even earned a silver medal during the 2012 London Olympics when she played in the women’s singles event.