Who Is Maria Sharapova's Fiancé? All About Alexander Gilkes

Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes revive as first-time parents.

The professional tennis player and the businessman were first rumored to be dating in January 2018. Two years later, Gilkes proposed to Sharapova and the couple announced their engagement via Instagram.

In July 2022, they had a son, Theodore, and have since put their “big wedding” on hold.

“Every week you learn something new about them, about their personality,” Sharapova told PEOPLE of their bundle of joy. “While it’s a full-time job, it’s also a joy to see this little man grow and express himself and to share my waking moments with him. It’s all very special.”

So, who is Maria Sharapova’s fiance? Here’s everything you need to know about Alexander Gilkes and his relationship with the former tennis star.

He was engaged in art

Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes at BoF West 2019 Dinner

Amy Sussman/Getty

Gilkes discovered his passion for art in 1997 when he attended Charles Saatchi’s “Sensation” exhibition, he told Observer. In addition to becoming a fine art auctioneer, he has also been a board member of the New York Academy of Art since 2016.

“I am very interested in the emergence of street culture because it is undoubtedly one of, if not the biggest, disruptive and transformative force in today’s world of contemporary art,” he told The Robb Report of your favorite artistic style. “And that’s the force that brought in the new audience… I think this whole street culture movement and its effect on fashion and various other types of clothing and art is the real defining force of today’s trend.”

He is an entrepreneur

Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes on Christmas Day, 2019.

Instagram Alexander Gilkes

Gilkes has held numerous positions over the years. He was an auctioneer at Phillips under Simon de Pury. Then in 2011, he founded the online auction site Paddle8.

“We wanted to improve access to this very elitist and quite esoteric art world,” Gilkes said GQ of the company concept. “I think art was becoming more accessible with the spread of technology, but the actual ability to acquire it was still difficult – it required a lot of time and work on our part.”

He added: “So the idea is that from the comfort of your desk, you can get access to galleries that are already curated for you and feature the best artists and artworks.”

In 2018, the business was sold to The Native and Gilkes stepped down as CEO. Two years later, he co-founded Squared Circles, a venture studio.

He has royal connections

Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

Jon Kopaloff/WireImage

Gilkes attended Eton College where he befriended Prince Harry and Prince William. He never spoke publicly about his relationship with his brothers. He, on the other hand, was a guest at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Princess Eugenie, affectionately known as “Eug” by Gilkes, is also a close friend and worked at Paddle8 for two years after she got her degree.

He and Sharapova announced their relationship in 2018

Alexander Gilkes and Maria Sharapova attend the Frieze Art Fair 2022 VIP preview.

David M. Bennett/Dave Bennett/Getty

Although they were first spotted in public in January 2018 in Los Angeles, it wasn’t until October that they officially went Instagram with somewhat cryptic posts. The couple was previously spotted at the Argento Ball for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in June and strolling through Beverly Hills in March.

In October, the couple shared photos of themselves on holiday in the Cotswolds. Sharapova also shared her then-boyfriend’s Instagram Story.

“The Cotwolds [sic] Fields of Gold… retracing my childhood steps #thefall,” Gilkes captioned his post. “Your photographer is better than mine 🤷🏼‍♀️,” she commented on Sharapova’s post, joking at herself.

He and Sharapova announced their engagement in 2020

Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes in 2020.

Maria Sharapova’s Instagram

In December 2020, the couple revealed that Gilkes had popped the question.

“I said yes from the first day we met❤️This was our little secret, wasn’t it 💍🥂@gilkesa”, wrote Sharapova with a selfie with her fiance. In his own post, Gilkes wrote: “Thank you for making me a very very happy boy. I look forward to loving and learning from you all my life @mariasharapova #💍.”

Sharapova said she and Gilkes are “in no rush” to get married, especially after welcoming a son.

“We wanted to have a big wedding and then I got pregnant, so we haven’t scheduled a new wedding yet,” the athlete told PEOPLE in June 2024. “Maybe in the next couple of years.”

He is the father

Alexander Gilkes with his son Theodore.

Instagram Alexander Gilkes

On July 1, 2022, the couple had their first child together — a son named Theodore. They made the big announcement with an Instagram post with his date of birth spelled out in Roman numerals.

“The most beautiful, challenging and valuable gift our little family could ask for,” Sharapova wrote.

A month after giving birth to baby Theodore, Sharapova spoke to PEOPLE about the “challenging” aspects of breastfeeding.

“You really don’t know much about what you’re doing and then you just figure it out. And then, in the end, it’s all right. I think it’s more of a scheduling problem. There are so many times a day,” she said.

The tennis star also shared how she slowly returned to exercise after giving birth. “I spent the last three months of my pregnancy, I would say, in the nesting phase where I didn’t work too much. I didn’t feel like my body was ready and I was getting quite tired. Towards the end I felt quite uncomfortable,” she explained. “When I gave birth, I had I have that renewed energy, which I think I needed.”

He speaks Russian, his fiancee’s native language

Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes attended the 2018 Elton John AIDS Foundation Argento Ball.

David M. Bennett/Dave Bennett/Getty

Sharapova was born in Nyagan, Russia, and Gilkes, coincidentally, already had an interest in the Russian language and culture before he met her. He speaks Russian in addition to French, Spanish and English.

He is British Vogue associate editor

Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes.

Instagram Alexander Gilkes

In addition to freelance editing pieces for the fashion magazine, Gilkes also wrote for the publication alongside his bride-to-be. One of their articles was a safari journal when they traveled to Botswana and Rwanda in February 2020.

“After a day spent pushing the amphibian to its limit across plains and ponds, seeing more lions, hippos, crocodiles, zebras and giraffes, Maria and I took a boat ride through thick papyrus reeds down the Delta and watched Monet’s sky change from orange to crimson to purple,” Gilkes wrote British Vogue. “The Wilderness team set up the most beautiful sun spread set under a baobab tree and lit by candles.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education