Former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova recently gave birth to her first child with her fiance Alexander Gilkes. Together, they named their firstborn son Theodore.
The Russian announced the birth of Theodore on Instagram with a picture of the trio as a family.
“Theodore VII.I.MMXXII. The most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift our little family could ask for,” she captioned her post.
Since then, the five-time Grand Slam champion has juggled her motherly responsibilities and her professional endeavors. One such example of her motherly duties was shared by her on her Instagram account where she took her child on a vacation in Greece and took a brief pause while in the caves to pump some of her breast milk.
Sharapova captioned her Instagram post:
“Catching the last summer rays in 🇬🇷 The last image. Aways on duty, even inside the caves and a low battery.”
“It was amazing to see the gracious tenacity as she carried through to the end of her career”- Maria Sharapova on Serena Williams’ retirementMaria Sharapova and Serena Williams at the 2019 US Open
Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams at the 2019 US Open
Serena Williams recently lost in the third round of the 2022 US Open at the hands of Ajla Tomljanovic in what was most likely the last match of her career. While Williams hasn’t officially announced that it was the final professional match of her career, there is a high chance that the 23-time Grand Slam winner won’t take to the court again.
Maria Sharapova joined a plethora of well-known figures in paying tribute to her former rival. Speaking to ESPN during the 2022 US Open semifinal clash between Ons Jabeur and Caroline Garcia, the 35-year-old recalled telling Williams at the 2021 Met Gala that she was better than the current generation and that she should at least play against them once.
The Russian continued by stating that it was “amazing” to witness the brilliance and “tenacity” Serena Williams has consistently exhibited, even in the latter stages of her career.
“We spoke about it at the net last year during this time of year and I said no disrespect to this generation but you are so much better and you need to go out there, so I’m glad that she had a chance here,” Maria Sharapova said, adding, “It was amazing to see Serena’s run and the glory and the gracious tenacity as she carried through to the end of her career.”
