Maria Sharapova is among the top names to grace the tennis court in the last two decades. In her professional career, she won five singles Grand Slam titles, winning all four majors at least once. However, another reason behind her huge fan following is her looks.
The Russian professional has always been counted as one of the most beautiful women in tennis. Hence, it’s fair to admit that numerous tennis fans had a crush on her during her time, in some way or another. Similarly, a supporter sitting in the crowd publicly proposed marriage to the multi-time Grand Slam winner.
Maria Sharapova’s response to a marriage proposal in Istanbul over the weekend #tennis pic.twitter.com/9CFZ4qDCvA
— (((𝙰𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝙷𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗™))) (@lynnlovestennis) November 28, 2017
The incident took place when Sharapova was facing Cagla Buyukakcay in an exhibition game in Istanbul. Talking about the match, it was a one-sided affair for the Russian, as she initially struggled in the first set but then dominantly sealed the second 7-6, 6-0.
However, when the two-time French Open winner geared up for her serve in the sixth game of the first set, an overly enthusiastic fan proposed Sharapova loudly, which resulted in a huge outburst of laughter in the crowd. Sharapova didn’t let the question slide unanswered as she replied “Maybe”. The answer by the top tennis star was met with a huge noise created by the fans at the Sinan Erdem Dome.
Who Did Maria Sharapova end up marrying to?
Maria Sharapova is currently engaged to British businessman, Alexander Gilkes. In 2018, they were spotted publicly for the very first time. Afterward, the couple announced their engagement in December 2020.
Gilkes was born in 1979 in Camden, London. He completed his education at the University of Bristol and started working at a British auction house. In 2011, the Brit founded Paddle8 along with Aditya Julka and Osman Khan.
In 2022, he also co-founded venture studio Squared Circles. Gilkes is an intelligent businessman, and he acquires a lot of knowledge regarding it. He also gets featured often in top magazines such as GQ and Vanity Fair.
However, Sharapova will be his second wife. In 2012, he tied the knot with Bahrain-born fashion designer Misha Nonoo. After five years together, the couple finalized their divorce in 2017, and a year later, Gilkes started dating the 2004 Wimbledon Champion. Last year, the couple also announced the birth of their first child, Theodore.
