Photo:Maria Sharapova/Instagram
Maria Sharapova/Instagram
MeetMaria Sharapova’s little one.
The retired tennis star welcomed her first child, son Theodore, with her fiancéAlexander Gilkesin July 2022.
Sharapova shared the exciting news of his arrival on Instagram a few days after giving birth, introducing her family of three to the world.
Since then, the five-time Grand Slam champ and herfiancé— aBritish businessman and co-founder of online auction housePaddle8 — occasionally share glimpses of their son on social media.
Sharapovaannounced her pregnancyon her 35th birthday in April, in an Instagram post. Now, both Sharapova and Gilkes are relishing in their respective roles as “mom” and “dad.”
“Every single week you learn something newabout them, about their personality,” Sharapova told PEOPLE of being a parent to Theodore, a month after he was born. “Although it’s a full-time job, it’s also just so gratifying to see this little human grow and to express himself and to share your moments with him when he’s awake. It’s all very special.”
Read on for everything to know about Maria Sharapova’s son, Theodore.
He was born in July 2022
Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes with their son, Theodore.Maria Sharapova/Instagram
Sharapova and Gilkes welcomed their first child, son Theodore, on July 1, 2022. They announced the exciting news onInstagram, sharing a snapshot of their little one with the world.
“The most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift our little family could ask for,” she added.
He has a nickname
His privacy is protected on Instagram
Maria Sharapova and her son, Theordore.Maria Sharapova/Instagram
Sharapova doesn’t post Theodore on herInstagramfeed very often — but when she does, she shields his face from the camera to protect her little one’s privacy.
But just because Sharapova doesn’t share every pic of Theodore with her followers doesn’t mean her camera roll isn’t loaded up with shots of her son.
“When your photo album has a few new photos other than your child,” she joked in anInstagramcaption of a carousel of photos of her at a work event.
His pro athlete mom fits fitness around his schedule
Sharapova may have retired from tennis professionally, but she’s still an athlete! The multi-tasking mom shared with herInstagramfollowers a look at her workout routine in November 2022.
The following month, she shared another clip of a workout she snuck in amid her busy schedule. “Found 30mins, a 1lb Bala weight, an imaginary jump rope and a sense of humor,” she captioned theInstagrampost.
One month after giving birth to Theo, Sharapova opened up to PEOPLE aboutreturning to her normal workout routine— which for the former pro athlete, required a bit of patience as well.
“I spent the last three months of pregnancy, I’d say in a nesting stage where I didn’t do too much. I didn’t feel my body was ready and I was getting quite tired. I felt quite uncomfortable towards the end,” she explained. “Once I gave birth, I had this renewed energy, which I think I needed.”
“This energy gave me the confidence to start working out slowly. And when I say working out, in the beginning, it was a stretch session to then it was a little bit of a toning session and then it became more Pilates and now I’m taking longer walks and soon I’ll do a little bit more cardio,” Sharapova said.
“It’s about taking the right steps and not getting too far ahead of yourself because you really want to get back in shape and you want to get your self-esteem back about your body, but it takes time,” she continued. “And I think I’m quite patient.”
He keeps her on ‘mom duty’ even on vacation
Maria Sharapova in Greece.Maria Sharapova/Instagram
Sharapova doesn’t take her role as “mom” lightly — even when she’s on vacation! In October 2022, the tennis champ jetted off to Greece for a little getaway.
In anInstagramcarousel, Sharapova shared with her followers everything from her unique European excursions to her breastmilk-pumping commitment amid her travels.
“Catching the last summer rays in 🇬🇷 The last image …always on duty 🍼 even inside the caves and a low battery 😆,” she playfully captioned her post.
The Grand Slam champ has previously beencandid about her breastfeeding experienceon Instagram, andechoed the “challenging” beginnings of nursingwhen speaking to PEOPLE in August 2022.
“You really don’t know much about what you’re doing and then you just figure it out. And then, in the end, it’s all okay. I think it’s more of the scheduling that’s tricky. It’s so many times a day,” Sharapova said at the time.
“It’s about managing your schedule so much better and you don’t do things just on the spot. You have to plan a little bit further in advance,” she added.
He’s Alexander Gilkes' ‘greatest gift’
Gilkes is one proud dad! The father of one celebrated Father’s Day with a heartfeltInstagramtribute to his own dad — and gave a special shoutout to Theo for making him a dad, himself.
source: people.com
