Wishes pour in for Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes after tennis ace confirms pregnancy

On her 35th birthday, five-time Grand Slam tennis champion Maria Sharapova confirmed she is pregnant with her first child. The Russian ace, who retired from the sport in February 2020, delivered the news via a social media post on Tuesday to her 4.2 million followers.

"Precious beginnings!!!" Sharapova wrote, adding, "Eating birthday cake for two has always been my speciality." The post had a snap of the tennis queen cradling her bump on the beach. She had on an orange bandeau top and a pair of dark sweatpants. Her golden blonde hair was worn down, and she had sunglasses over her eyes as she smiled at the camera.

Following this, several fans of the tennis ace congratulated the couple, and most people shared a heart emoji to express their joy over this news. One user commented, "Double the celebrations! Happy birthday Maria. We can't wait for the exciting things that are yet to come for you and your little one!" Another user stated, "Yessss mama and papa this is so wonderful ❤️😍❤️"

Sharapova began dating British businessman Alexander Gilkes, 42, in 2018. They made their major red carpet debut as a couple at the 2019 Met Gala.

Gilkes, whose ex-wife is also a friend of Meghan Markle, proposed to the five-time Grand Slam tennis champion in December 2020. He presented her with a dazzling 300,000-pound diamond engagement ring.

"I said yes from the first day we met ❤️ This was our little secret, wasn't it @gilkesa," wrote Sharapova, who announced their engagement on Instagram. She included a slideshow of sweet snapshots, as well as a video of herself twirling on the sidewalk.

Taking to his own Instagram page, Alexander thanked his fiancee for 'making me a very very happy boy and saying yes' to his proposal. The art dealer continued, "I look forward to a lifetime of loving you, and learning from you @mariasharapova"

According to the reports, Gilkes is understood to have become friends with Prince William when they were both at Eton and is also said to be close to Prince Harry, who also went to the same school. He was also a guest at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. The couple was reportedly expected to attend the royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in 2018.

Sharapova's life has undergone a number of changes over the past two years, including retiring from tennis in February 2020. In a statement published to Vanity Fair, the athlete wrote that she was 'saying goodbye' to the sport that made her a household name.