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Former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova shared a sweet message to all women on the occasion of Mother's Day. She received a special gift from her two-year-old son, Theodore.
Sharapova retired from tennis five years ago at the 2020 Australian Open. She captured five Grand Slam titles in her career, including two at Roland Garros in 2012 and 2014.
The Russian marked Mother’s Day with a warm message to all women, especially mothers. Her Instagram post also featured a sweet surprise from her son Theodore.
"This little munchkin gives me so much joy. With motherhood come the lessons of responsibility of discipline, and great patience. I wouldn't want it any other way. Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful moms and women who are daily caregivers. This holiday is also for you," Maria Sharapova said.
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Sharapova has been in a relationship with Alexander Gilkes since 2018. The couple got engaged in 2020 and welcomed a baby son in July 2022.
Gilkes began his career as an auctioneer and later founded the online auction platform Paddle8. In 2020, he sold the company and co-founded a venture studio called Squared Circles.
Maria Sharapova was expected to have a big wedding in 2022, but she got pregnant and changed her plans. She has hinted at getting married to the Gilkes in the next few years.
"He's exploring the world and I get to explore with him" - Maria Sharapova on motherhood and her son Theo
In an interview with Tennis Channel, Maria Sharapova once reflected upon her journey as a mother and raising her son, Theodore. She shared how lessons from her tennis career have helped her in parenting.
"It's going. There's a lot of negotiation skills that go on with parenthood which I didn't know that the negotiations that I learned through my career in business and in the sport that I would apply to parenthood. But I'm learning about that every day. You got to give something to take something," Sharapova said.
The Russian felt that motherhood was one of the best things that had happened to her. She enjoyed exploring the world with her son and learn through his actions.
"It's been one of the best things that's happened to me in my life and I get to teach him and grow with him. I get to learn through his actions and his findings. He's exploring the world and I get to explore with him. He has very long eyelashes and I don't know where they come from but I appreciate them," Sharapova added.
With the Italian Open in full swing on the main tour, it is worth acknowledging that Sharapova won the Italian Open thrice in her career. She also reached the finals of the French Open three times in the past, winning in 2012, 2014, and losing in 2013.
