Maria Sharapova, a five-time Major champion, makes significant news on her 35th birthday, two years after calling it quits. Sharapova revealed her pregnancy to her fans in a photo, saying she is expecting her first child with fiance Alexander Gilkes.
Sharapova revealed her relationship with the British billionaire in October 2018, and they plan to become parents by the end of this year or early in 2023. Sharapova, who was plagued by ailments, played only 17 matches in 2019 and 2020 before retiring at the Australian Open two years ago.
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When she was nine years old, Sharapova went to Bollettieri Academy to improve her skills and become one of the world’s most outstanding talents. Maria won three ITF championships in a row in 2002, completing the season inside the top-200, and broke into the top-50 a year later after winning two WTA titles.
Marching to the top, a young phenomenon won Wimbledon at the age of 17 in 2004, establishing history and adding four more Major titles to her collection. Sharapova remained one of the world’s finest players for the next 12 years before her career was derailed by an 18-month suspension.
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Maria made a strong recovery in the spring of 2017, but she was never able to regain her form, battling injuries and winning only one WTA title following Rome in 2015. Sharapova finished 2018 inside the top-30 in her final major season before suffering injuries and played in only eight events in 2019.
A five-time Major champion, she reached the quarter-finals in Shenzhen before losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Ashleigh Barty, which boosted her confidence ahead of the future tournaments. Nonetheless, the Russian’s back-to-back victories in Melbourne were his last, as he withdrew from St. Petersburg and remained sidelined until Mallorca in June due to chronic shoulder concerns. Sharapova has only won two of the season’s last five tournaments. She suffered a crushing defeat against Serena Williams in New York and was unable to compete in Linz or Luxembourg the following year.
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Maria won the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in December, defeating Ajla Tomljanovic, and she hopes to do so again in 2020. Nonetheless, the Russian’s career came to an end after losses to Jennifer Brady and Donna Vekic in Brisbane and the Australian Open, respectively. Maria Sharapova rose to the top of the world rankings in August 2005, winning 36 WTA titles in 59 finals.
