Former tennis star Maria Sharapova on Wednesday took to Instagram to announce her pregnancy. She shared a picture of her on a beach and captioned the post as “Precious beginnings!!! Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty.” Sharapova is expecting the child with fiance Alexander Gilkes, a British businessman.
Sharapova rose to fame as a giggly 17-year-old Wimbledon winner in 2004, the third-youngest player to conquer the All England Club’s hallowed grass courts.
She became world number one in 2005 and won the US Open the next year.
But in 2007 Sharapova began her long on-off battle with shoulder trouble.
“Tennis – I’m saying goodbye,” she had said while announcing her retirement in an article for Vogue magazine. “After 28 years and five Grand Slam titles, though, I’m ready to scale another mountain – to compete on a different type of terrain.”
