Maria
Sharapova is preparing for her wedding to her long-time boyfriend, Alexander
Gilkes.
The former
world No. 1 began a relationship with Gilkes in 2018. He is an art auctioneer
and has been a part of the board of directors of the New York Academy of Art
since 2016. He also founded the online auction site Paddle8.
In 2018,
Sharapova played her final season, marking her retirement after being a 5-time
Grand Slam champion, including winning her first Wimbledon at just 17 years
old. She also won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
The
engagement between Sharapova and Gilkes was announced in December 2020, and
they welcomed their first child, Theodore, in 2022.
"Thank
you for making me a very very happy boy and saying yes. I look forward to a
lifetime of loving you, and learning from you
Maria Sharapova," read the
caption on Gilkes' post announcing their engagement.
Sharapova
recently reminisced in an interview with Cannes Sport Beach about her long
career and what it meant to become the world No. 1, the first Russian to
achieve it:
"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 at the 2023 Cannes Sport Beach.
"If I
could turn that match around and show them on a bad day I was able to win or I
was able to improve in front of their eyes, imagine how they'll go to sleep.
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.