NEED TO KNOW
\nMaria Sharapova welcomed her first child with fianc\u00e9 Alexander Gilkes in July 2022 The news came two years after she announced her retirement from tennis in 2020 Sharapova and Gilkes’ son is named Theodore <\/p>\n
Maria Sharapova<\/a> might be best known as a world-famous tennis player, but she’s also a mom.\n<\/p>\n Five years after announcing she would be retiring from the sport, Sharapova will be inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame<\/a> in August 2025. Since retiring, she’s had no trouble keeping busy \u2014\u00a0especially since she and her fianc\u00e9\u00a0Alexander Gilkes<\/a> welcomed their first child, son Theodore, in July 2022.\n<\/p>\n Sharapova shared the exciting news of his arrival on Instagram a few days after giving birth, introducing her family of three to the world.\n<\/p>\n Since then, the five-time Grand Slam champ and her fianc\u00e9<\/a> \u2014 a British businessman and co-founder of online auction house Paddle8 \u2014 occasionally share glimpses of their son on social media.\n<\/p>\n Sharapova announced her pregnancy<\/a> on her 35th birthday in April, in an Instagram post. Now, both Sharapova and Gilkes are relishing in their respective roles as “mom” and “dad.”\n<\/p>\n “Every single week you learn something new<\/a>\u00a0about 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.”\n<\/p>\n Here’s everything to know about Maria Sharapova’s son, Theodore.\n<\/p>\n He was born in July 2022 <\/p>\n Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes with their son, Theodore.<\/p>\n Maria Sharapova\/Instagram<\/p>\n Sharapova and Gilkes welcomed their first child, son Theodore, on July 1, 2022. They announced the exciting news on Instagram<\/a>, sharing a snapshot of their little one with the world.\n<\/p>\n “Theodore,” the retired tennis star wrote alongside the picture, which showed her and Gilkes holding their baby boy. She also penned his birth date in roman numerals in the caption.\n<\/p>\n “The most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift our little family could ask for,” she added.<\/p>\n He has a nickname <\/p>\n Sharapova and Gilkes refer to Theodore by a couple of different nicknames. They often call him “T”<\/a> and “Theo” when writing about him on Instagram.\n<\/p>\n His privacy is protected on Instagram <\/p>\n Maria Sharapova and her son, Theordore.<\/p>\n Maria Sharapova\/Instagram<\/p>\n Sharapova doesn’t post Theodore on her Instagram<\/a> feed very often \u2014 but when she does, she shields his face from the camera to protect her little one’s privacy.\n<\/p>\n In April 2023, the athlete posed with her baby boy in celebration of her birthday. “My first birthday as a mommy,” she wrote alongside a photo<\/a> of herself cradling Theodore.<\/p>\n But just because Sharapova doesn’t share every picture of Theodore with her followers doesn’t mean her camera roll isn’t loaded up with shots of her son.\n<\/p>\n “When your photo album has a few new photos other than your child,” she joked in an Instagram<\/a> caption of a carousel of photos of her at a work event.\n<\/p>\n His pro athlete mom fits fitness around his schedule <\/p>\n Sharapova may have retired from tennis professionally, but she’s still an athlete! The multi-tasking mom shared a look at her workout routine with her Instagram<\/a> followers in November 2022.\n<\/p>\n “A little glimpse into my recent\u00a0@tonal\u00a0workouts while little T is asleep (hopefully \ud83e\udd2b),” she captioned the video.\n<\/p>\n 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 the Instagram<\/a> post.<\/p>\n One month after giving birth to Theo, Sharapova opened up to PEOPLE about returning to her normal workout routine<\/a> \u2014 which for the former pro athlete required a bit of patience as well.\n<\/p>\n “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.”\n<\/p>\n “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.\n<\/p>\n He keeps her on “mom duty” even on vacation <\/p>\n Maria Sharapova in Greece.<\/p>\n Maria Sharapova\/Instagram<\/p>\n Sharapova doesn’t take her role as “mom” lightly \u2014 even when she’s on vacation! In October 2022, the tennis champ jetted off to Greece for a little getaway.\n<\/p>\n In an Instagram<\/a> carousel, Sharapova shared with her followers everything from her unique European excursions to her breastmilk-pumping commitment amid her travels.\n<\/p>\n “Catching the last summer rays in \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\uddf7 The last image \u2026always on duty \ud83c\udf7c even inside the caves and a low battery \ud83d\ude06,” she playfully captioned her post.\n<\/p>\n The Grand Slam champ has previously been\u00a0candid about her breastfeeding experience<\/a> on Instagram, and echoed the “challenging” beginnings of nursing<\/a> when speaking to PEOPLE in August 2022.\n<\/p>\n “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.\n<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n He’s is his dad’s “greatest gift” <\/p>\n Gilkes celebrated Father’s Day in 2023 with a heartfelt Instagram<\/a> tribute to his own dad \u2014 and gave a special shout-out to Theo for making him a dad.\n<\/p>\n “Happy belated Father\u2019s Day to all who are fortunate enough to play this role. Thank you Padre for being a role model father to your boys and girls, with the right balance of quirky and kind, and Theo for giving me the greatest gift of fatherhood \u2764\ufe0f,” Gilkes captioned a slideshow of cute photos with his baby boy.\n<\/p>\n