Former tennis star Maria Sharapova took to social media last week to announce the birth of her first child, a baby boy named Theodore.
The 35-year-old Russian posted a photograph of the new family member along with herself and fiance Alexander Gilkes, a British businessman. The couple started dating in 2018 and announced their engagement by the end of 2020.
Expressing her joy on Instagram, Sharapova welcomed her son into the world, calling him “the most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift.”
“The most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift our little family could ask for,” Sharapova wrote.
Theodore was born on July 1 and it didn’t take too long for the former World No. 1 to recover and step out following her son’s birth. She recently posted a photo of herself on her Instagram stories, where she can be seen wearing an athletic outfit and standing on rugged terrain. The retired star said that she hiked after a long period of time.
“First proper hike in a long while. In altitude. Don’t recommend it,” Sharapova wrote.
A few photographs of the Russian also emerged as she walked the streets of New York City alongside her mother Yelena Sharapova. Fans on Twitter were shocked to see how fit Maria Sharapova looked just a few days after giving birth to her first child.