Former world number one Maria Sharapova on Tuesday used the occasion of her 35th birthday to announce that she was pregnant with her first child.

The Russian five-time Grand Slam champion, who retired from the sport in 2020, shared the news on Instagram to her 4.2 million followers.

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"Precious beginnings!!!," she wrote alongside a photo of her standing on a beach and smiling. "Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty."

In December, Sharapova and British businessman Alexander Gilkes revealed that they were engaged.

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Although she competed under the Russian flag during her career - and is the only Russian woman to have won a career Grand Slam - Sharapova has lived in the United States since she came to the country as a young tennis prodigy.

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