Two years after ending her career, a five-time Major champion Maria Sharapova announces big news on her 35th birthday. Sharapova shared a picture with her fans and revealed her pregnancy, expecting the first child with her fiance Alexander Gilkes. Sharapova revealed her relationship with the British businessman in October 2018, and they will become parents by the end of this year or at the beginning of 2023. Struggling with injuries, Sharapova played only 17 matches in 2019 and 2020 before retiring at the Australian Open two years ago. Sharapova traveled to Bollettieri Academy when she was nine, working on her game and becoming one of the world’s most extraordinary talents. Maria claimed three back-to-back ITF titles in 2002, finished the season inside the top-200 and cracked the top-50 a year later following two WTA titles!
Maria Sharapova expects her first child.
Marching towards the top, a teenage sensation claimed the Wimbledon crown in 2004 at 17, writing history books and adding four more Major trophies to her tally. For the next 12 years, Sharapova had remained one of the world’s best players before everything went down for her following that 18-month suspension. Maria made a solid comeback in the spring of 2017 but could never reach her A-game again, struggling with injuries and lifting only one WTA trophy after Rome 2015. In her final notable season, Sharapova finished 2018 inside the top-30 before struggling with injuries and competing at only eight events in 2019.
A five-time Major champion was the quarter-finalist in Shenzhen, followed by the fourth-round Australian Open loss to Ashleigh Barty, which gave her confidence ahead of the upcoming tournaments. Nonetheless, those Melbourne victories proved to be the last back-to-back wins for the Russian, who withdrew from St. Petersburg and stayed sidelined until Mallorca in June with ongoing shoulder problems. Sharapova scored only two wins in the season’s last five tournaments. She suffered that massive loss against Serena Williams in New York and finished the year after that encounter after not being able to compete in Linz or Luxembourg. In December, Maria defeated Ajla Tomljanovic at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship and hoped for more of the same in 2020. Still, the Russian ended her career after losses to Jennifer Brady and Donna Vekic in Brisbane and the Australian Open. Maria Sharapova became world no. 1 in August 2005 and claimed 36 WTA titles from 59 finals.