On the occasion of her 35th birthday on Wednesday, 20 April, former tennis star Maria Sharapova took to Instagram to announce her first pregnancy.
Sharing a beachside picture of hers with a baby bump, Sharapova wrote, "Precious beginnings!!! Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty."
She is engaged to British businessman Alexander Gilkes.
Soon after her post, congratulatory messages began pouring in from her fans, friends, and well wishers.
Background
Sharapova had announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 32. This after her right shoulder got injured multiple times, and she lost last four matches at major tournaments.
She had won the Grand Slam titles five times, and was the number No. 1 in the WTA rankings at a time. Her career also featured a 15-month doping ban.
The Russian, who moved to the US at the age of 7, shot to fame in Tennis as a 17-year-old when she won Wimbledon in 2004. She rose to the number 1 position in 2005, and later won the title of Australian Open in 2008. She later went on to win French Open in 2012 and two years later in 2014.
Her last Grand Slam final came in 2015 at the Australian Open, where she was the runner-up to Serena Williams.
During the 2016 Australian Open, Sharapova had tested positive for the banned drug meldonium.
(With inputs from The Associated Press.)
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