Former Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova has announced her engagement to British businessman Alexander Gilkes. Sharapova had first announced her relationship with Gilkes in 2018.
The 33-year-old former world number one called time on her glittering tennis career in February this year.
Sharapova announced her engagement through a series of pictures and videos posted on Instagram on Thursday. “I said yes from the first day we met. This was our little secret, wasn’t it,” she captioned the post.
Gilkes, 41, responded to the post by saying, “Thank you for making me a very very happy boy and saying yes. I look forward to a lifetime of loving you, and learning from you.”
According to reports, Gilkes is a close friend of Prince Harry and Prince William, with all three of them attending school together. Gilkes was earlier married to Prince Harry’s friend and British fashion designer Misha Nonoo.
Sharapova announced her retirement after her first-round loss in the Australian Open, saying in an interview with Vogue, “Tennis, I’m saying goodbye”.
The five-time Grand Slam winner also stated she wanted to focus on her entrepreneurial ventures, like her candy brand ‘Sugarpova’, along with devoting time to her personal life.
