“One of the best things that’s happened to me in my life” – Maria Sharapova on becoming a mother. The Russian star has been in a relationship with the British businessman, Alexander Gilkes since 2018. The couple got engaged in 2020 and then on July 1, 2022, Sharapova gave birth to their son, Theodore. So, after retiring from tennis in 2020, Sharapova has focused on prioritizing her family and she has often been seen sharing glimpses of her heartwarming family moments on social media. Recently, she was spotted doing her motherly duties for her son in her home.

After welcoming her son in 2022, Maria Sharapova gave an interview with PEOPLE and during that interview, she shared her thoughts on her new parenthood role. “Every single week you learn something new about them, about their personality. Although it’s a full-time job, it’s also just so gratifying to see this little human grow and express himself and share your moments with him when he’s awake. It’s all very special.”

Talking about special moments, in October 2022, we saw how his little son kept her on “mom duty” even on a vacation in Greece. She shared a post on IG with the caption, “Catching the last summer rays in 🇬🇷 The last image …always on duty 🍼 even inside the caves and a low battery 😆.” Earlier this year, during the Wimbledon Championships, Maria Sharapova was spotted taking her toddler son and husband on a trip inside the iconic stadium. The stadium in which she won the title in 2004! She could also be seen showing her toddler son her name on the wall of champions and posing with her fiance Alexander Gilkes for an adorable family photo.

Recently, Maria Sharapova shared a small video clip on her IG stories. In that story, the Russian legend was seen teaching a few Russian alphabets to her son. She captioned that post with, “HOW’S YOUR TUESDAY?” The tennis legend is clearly enjoying her new role off the court, isn’t it? In October this year, we saw her enjoying a weekend outing with her fiance Alexander Gilkes, and their toddler, Theodore. Gilkes was seen trying out a toy machine at the playground and their son savored a croissant.

During a previous conversation with German tennis star, Andrea Petkovic on the ‘Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast,’ we heard Maria Sharapova speak on how becoming a mother has given her a newfound appreciation for motherhood and parenthood. She said that managing the responsibilities of motherhood alongside her career has been both challenging and rewarding. How has tennis helped her in this new role, though? Well, she spoke about this during an interview with PEOPLE in June 2024.

Maria Sharapova reveals how tennis helped her understand the power of a schedule ahead of welcoming her son

After welcoming her son in 2022, Maria Sharapova learned that every single week she gets the chance to learn something new about her kid and their personality. She said although it’s a “full-time job“, still she believes it’s very gratifying to see this “little human grow” and express himself. So, these are always quite special moments for this tennis star! With Christmas day knocking on the doors, the tennis legend, recently also shared adorable glimpses of her son Theo’s moment with a Christmas tree on her social media.

How did tennis help her on her motherhood journey, though? During an interview, Sharapova revealed, “I think in some ways there were so many elements of my sport that I could I apply into motherhood.” But how? “Just the discipline of the schedules and routines and seeing the benefit of that through their behavior and through their eyes has also been really helpful. When I was playing, knowing where I was going to be and when I was going to nap and when I was going to eat helped me so much with my energy,” said Maria Sharapova.

She also spoke about how she and her husband have to travel a lot and as a result, they found routines very helpful. However, she admitted that sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Sharapova also spoke about the importance of acknowledging the changes all the time during a child’s development stages. Will she ever going to introduce her son to the sport, though?

Maria Sharapova answered this question in a previous Q&A session with her followers on IG. She said, “He has a racquet. But whether or not he is showing much interest is TBD, there’s time.” Do you want to see Theodore following the footsteps of his legendary momma? Share your thoughts in the comment box.