Former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova recently shared a few glimpses of celebrating her fiancé Alexander Gilkes’ birthday. The 38-year-old, who retired from competitive tennis in 2020, has been in a relationship with the British entrepreneur since 2018. The couple got engaged in 2020.
How Maria Sharapova Celebrated Her Fiancé’s Birthday
Sharapova took to the picture-sharing app Instagram to celebrate her fiancé’s special day. The Russian posted a video showing a bunch of heart-shaped balloons strung up to a tree. “We (heart emoji) you,” she wrote in a caption to the video where she tagged Gilkes. Her next story featured the duo standing in front of a majestic sea backdrop.
“My birthday (bear emoji),” Sharapova captioned the stunning picture.
Sharapova and Gilkes often post about moments from their life on Instagram. Recently, Gilkes wrote a heart-touching post celebrating his mother and the tennis star on Mother’s Day.
He wrote, “Happiest Mother’s Day to all of the wonderful mothers in my life, especially my mother 🐓Robyn Gilkes who is navigating current headwinds with her signature bravery and humour, and Theo’s Mama 🐻 Maria Sharapova who keeps raising the bar. Love you all very much.”
View this post on Instagram
Sharapova gave birth to the couple’s son, Theo, on July 1, 2022. She has described her son’s birth as “most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift our little family could ask for.”
Sharapova, one of the most celebrated names in tennis, has launched several successful ventures since she retired from the sport. In 2023, she became a member of the Board of Directors for fashion brand Moncler. In her heyday, Sharapova was one of the highest paid athletes in the world and was the highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 consecutive years, as per Forbes.
Who Is Maria Sharapova’s Fiancé, Alexander Gilkes?
Gilkes, born in 1979 in London, began his career as an auctioneer at Phillips de Pury & Company and later worked with luxury group LVMH in New York. In 2011, he co-founded Paddle8, an online auction house focused on fine art and collectibles, which quickly gained traction and handled over $140 million in sales by 2015.
Gilkes became a prominent figure in the art and startup world, earning recognition from Fast Company, Vanity Fair, GQ, and Art+Auction. He exited Paddle8 in 2018. In 2020, he launched Squared Circles, a venture studio supporting innovative companies at the intersection of science, technology, and culture.
Gilkes also serves on the board of the New York Academy of Art, further cementing his ties to the creative industry.
He was married to fashion designer Misha Nonoo before divorcing in 2017.
Successful in his own right, Gilkes’ net worth is currently estimated to be $25 million.
