WASHINGTON: Former world number one Maria Sharapova announced on Tuesday that she is pregnant with her first child on the occasion of her 35th birthday.
The five-time Grand Slam champion retired from sports back in 2020 after battling injuries and overcoming a 2016 suspension. The former Russian Tennis player enjoys a massive following of 4.2 million followers on Instagram.
Taking to Instagram Maria wrote, "Precious beginnings!!!," and added a photo of her standing on the beach. "Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty," she further added.
As soon as Sharapova announced the news, fans started pouring congratulatory messages on her Instagram account including many celebrities. This wasn't the first big reveal Sharapova has made on Instagram, in the year 2020, the Tennis queen also announced her engagement on the platform.
Back in 2020, Sharapova revealed that she is engaged to British Businessman Alexander Gilkes. The couple has been dating since 2018 and got engaged in December 2020. Sharapova competed under the Russian flag and is the only Russian woman to have won a career in Grand Slam. Sharapova has lived in the United States since she came to the country as a young tennis prodigy in 1994.