Tennis star and bride-to-be! Maria Sharapova took to Instagram on Thursday to share the news that she is engaged to her longtime love, Alexander Gilkes.
"I said yes from the first day we met❤️This was our little secret, wasn’t it 💍🥂@gilkesa," Sharapova, 33, captioned a series of photos and videos of the pair kissing at the beach and enjoying the sunset in Paris.
The British businessman, who is also pals with Prince William, also posted about the engagement on his own account, writing, "Thank you for making me a very very happy boy. I look forward to a lifetime of loving you, and learning from you @mariasharapova #💍"
The pair first started dating in 2018, and fans noticed that Gilkes cheered on the tennis pro at the US Open that year.
Later that year, they both posted photos from the same scenic field in the Cotswolds in England, leaving flirty comments on each other's posts.
In May 2019, Gilkes was Sharapova's date to the Met Gala and this past February, the couple attended Vanity Fair's Oscars after-party together.
Earlier this year, Sharapova retired from tennis, writing on social media, "Tennis showed me the world—and it showed me what I was made of. It’s how I tested myself and how I measured my growth. And so in whatever I might choose for my next chapter, my next mountain, I’ll still be pushing. I’ll still be climbing. I’ll still be growing."
Gilkes also honored his future fiancée in a post at the time writing, "May you continue to inspire us all with your deep humility, self-deprecation, strength and focus. As a remarkable first chapter closes with so many extraordinary feats, we look forward to all that you will accomplish with equal grit and grace in the years to come."
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