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"I said yes from the very first day of our meeting": Sharapova opens up about her engagement

 

Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova announced her engagement to 41-year-old British businessman Alexander Gilkes. The athlete admitted that she was confident in her choice from the first day of meeting. Colleagues from the Russian national team Elena Vesnina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenko, as well as the stars of cinema, music and fashion, congratulated the couple on the joyful event. "I said yes from the very first day of our meeting": Sharapova announced her engagement to British businessman Gilkes Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes globallookpress.com © ImagePressAgency / face to face

Engagement

The most titled Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, who ended her sports career in early 2020, announced her engagement to British businessman Alexander Gilkes on her Instagram page.

“I said yes from the very first day of our meeting. That was our little secret, wasn't it? " - wrote Sharapova, posting a joint photo.

In turn, the newly minted groom also shared the good news with followers on social networks.

“Thank you for saying yes and making me very, very happy. I want to love you all my life and learn from you, ”Gilkes admitted.

As you know, Sharapova practically does not talk about her personal life, although at various times she was romantically linked with musician Adam Levine, basketball player Sasha Vuyachich and tennis player Grigor Dimitrov. Therefore, nothing is known about the exact date of her acquaintance with Gilkes, although it can be assumed that they met at one of the social events.

The paparazzi first captured the couple in January 2018 at the Los Angeles airport. Then Maria and Alexander began to appear together in public and share common photos on social networks.  

And after Sharapova's defeat in the quarterfinals of the US Open - 2018, they went on vacation together, after which no one had any doubts that the tennis player's heart was again occupied. In addition, the businessman could be seen in the VIP box at some of the major tennis tournaments.

It is worth noting that in January there were already rumors that the lovers decided to legalize the relationship. The reason was a photograph in which she was seen with an expensive diamond ring on the ring finger. Many rushed to congratulate the couple on their engagement, but there was no official confirmation.

Gilkes is currently the co-founder of Squared Circles, a venture capital studio launched in January 2020, and is also on the board of directors of the New York Academy of Arts. Previously, he ran an online auction and was recognized by some publications as one of the most influential people in the art world.

Interestingly, the life of the British, even before meeting Sharapova, was closely connected with Russia. His mother, Robin Gilkes, is a professor of Eastern Europe at Oxford University. Alexander admitted that from childhood he was familiar with Russian literature, and for a better understanding of the culture of Russia he began to learn Russian.

Previously, Gilkes was married to the popular fashion designer Edwin Eklestwight, better known under the pseudonym Misha Nonoo. And Sharapova was engaged to Vuyachich, but it never came to the wedding.

The news of the engagement of Gilkes ​​and Sharapova quickly spread around the world, and numerous fans rushed to congratulate the ex-first racket of the world. They were joined by tennis players Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina, as well as stars of world sports, fashion, music and cinema, including actresses Hilary Swank and Lily Collins.

In addition, the future daughter-in-law was approached by the groom's mother, Robin.

"It's so cool! Welcome to our very strange family! I look forward to celebrating this amazing news as it should, and not from afar, ”- wrote Gilkes in the comments to the post by Sharapova.

Active training and buying a ranch

Despite the end of her career, Sharapova's popularity does not decline. So, at the end of 2020, she took the seventh place in the list of the most mentioned athletes on Twitter, losing only to her former colleagues Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams, football players Megan Rapino and Alex Morgan, as well as gymnast Simone Biles and figure skater Yuna Kim. In addition, at the end of October, the five-time winner of the Grand Slam tournaments once again entered the list of the 100 hot Russians.

At the same time, the ex-athlete does not allow herself to relax and regularly tells followers about her workouts. So, for the New Year holidays, she began to prepare already in mid-November, having posted a funny video of intensive classes accompanied by popular Christmas tunes.

Is it too early for Christmas tunes? Oops. I am just preparing the body for eating gingerbread, ”Maria joked.

At the moment, the Russian woman lives in California. Variety recently reported that she has acquired a new ranch in Santa Barbara County. Its cost is estimated at $ 8.6 million. The area is two hectares, there are three buildings with three bedrooms and five bathrooms.

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