On April 19th, 2017, Serena Williams formally announced her pregnancy. On April 19th, 2022, Maria Sharapova announced HER pregnancy. Hilariously, April 19th is also Maria’s birthday. She turned 35 years old yesterday and I guess she had to acknowledge the same thing as her great “rival,” that April 19th is the perfect day to announce a pregnancy.
Maria Sharapova, who won all four tennis grand slam titles during her career, celebrated her 35th birthday on Tuesday but will remember the day for more than one reason after she announced she was expecting her first child with fiancée Alexander Gilkes.
The former tennis star posted a picture on Instagram showing off her small bump while posing at the beach. “Precious beginnings,” she wrote in the picture caption. “Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty.”
Sharapova, who retired from the sport just over two years ago, announced her engagement to British businessman Gilkes in December 2020. The pair have been in a relationship since 2018 and Gilkes would often be seen in Sharapova’s playing box towards the end of her career.
I totally forgot that Maria and Alexander Gilkes were already engaged. He’s British and very aristocratic. He’s in the same social circle as Prince William and the Norfolk Turnip Toffs, you know. I believe Maria and Alexander split their time between the US and England. I wonder if she wants to raise the baby in the US or what. Anyway, congrats to Sharapova, I guess.
(Also, coincidences upon coincidences, Serena was 35 when she announced her pregnancy and gave birth.)
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.
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- BEVERLY HILLS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 09: Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes arrive at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 9, 2020 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency),Image: 563496251, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Maria Sharapova attends the Fashion Awards 2021 red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, United Kingdom.,Image: 645549452, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Olivier Huitel / Avalon
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- Maria Sharapova attends the Fashion Awards 2021 red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, United Kingdom.,Image: 645549462, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Olivier Huitel / Avalon
I doubt Maria was deliberately announcing on the same date Serena did. More likely that she decided to announce on her own birthday.
So I’m guessing she and her aristo beau will get married after the baby arrives.
Well Serena got married to her husband after their daughter was born so…
I hope that Maria has a healthy pregnancy and gives birth to a healthy baby. She should name the baby Serena since she’s been obsessed with Serena for decades now.
I will never consider Maria as Serena’s rival (Venus had that covered)! But she’s definitely her stalker!
Definitely a stalker. She should give Serena a percentage of her earning too. The way that woman glommed onto the champ for years as a way of relevancy is quite yt of her. She and Kate can take notes on not ever being on the same level of the black women that they obsess over.
Exactly, why compare mediocrity to greatness… She WISHES she were her equal though.
If it were anyone but Maria I’d say all those are weird coincidences, but I completely believe that in her mind this is her “winning” over Serena somehow.
This woman makes my blood run cold,something about her.
I’m firmly Team Serena, so I always have to stop and differentiate Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki in my head. “Wait, which tall, blonde European tennis player is friends with Serena and which one sucks?”
Caroline=good
Maria=boo
That blue dress is ummmm really something. Just checked her Instagram and she’s actually really cute/pretty in dressed down pics but she badly needs a stylist. Or maybe she’ll calm down with all the “fashion” after being a mom. Less is more for her
I thought his name sounded familiar and then I looked him up – he was married for Megan’s friend, Misha Nonoo. What a small world they all live in.
Instead of “who retired from the sport,” wouldn’t it be more accurate to write “who got caught cheating so many times that she finally just quit?” Because that’s what it would read if Serena had been the one to fail a bunch of drug tests, just sayin’.
I think she and her fiancé sort of look alike. Is it just me? The eyes, the shape of the nose, etc.
Anyway, congrats to them. I am not up on this Serena/Maria “thing” but it sounds like it was intense, at least on Maria’s part.