For her 38th birthday on April 19, Maria Sharapova chose to celebrate in Tokyo, a city that has held a special place in her heart since her first WTA title there in 2003. She was joined by her fiancé, art entrepreneur Alexander Gilkes, who has often spoken about his fascination with street culture and its role in shaping modern art.
Together, they embraced Tokyo’s unique mix of history and innovation—a city Sharapova once described as “magical” and one she dreamed of revisiting for cherry blossom season. This year, that dream turned into a birthday trip filled with unexpected twists.
Gilkes marked the occasion by sharing a sweet Instagram story of their dinner at the exclusive Sugalabo restaurant, where Sharapova posed proudly with her birthday cake. But the real surprise came the next morning, when Gilkes dragged her out of bed at 4 a.m. for a trip to Tokyo’s famous Toyosu fish market.
With her trademark dry humor, Sharapova filmed the outing, joking about being woken up before dawn as Gilkes excitedly snapped photos of the giant tuna. “How I feel about it,” she captioned one video, trudging behind him. By the time they finally sat down for breakfast, she posted with relief, “Ahhh 😮💨 The exit sign.”
Despite her playful grumbling, early mornings are nothing new for the five-time Grand Slam winner. Even on her birthday, she was up at 5:30 a.m. for a gym session, sharing a mirror selfie and writing, “The only jet lag I accept is in Tokyo. And if it’s at a gym at 5:30 am, preferably the @aman_tokyo.” Old habits, it seems, are hard to break.
Sharapova and Gilkes, who have been together since 2018, got engaged in 2020 and welcomed their son Theodore in 2022.
The former tennis star has since embraced motherhood and life beyond the court. “I feel like I stepped into this chapter at the right time,” she told People magazine in 2024, reflecting on her retirement and transition into family life.
As for their wedding, Sharapova admitted they had originally planned a big celebration, but postponed after her pregnancy. For now, wedding planning isn’t a priority. “Yeah, we’re not in a rush,” she laughed.
Both Sharapova and Gilkes juggle busy professional lives. She runs her candy brand Sugarpova, sits on Moncler’s board, invests in startups like Cofertility, and maintains partnerships with Nike and Porsche.
Meanwhile, Gilkes co-founded Squared Circles, a sustainability-focused venture studio, and contributes as a writer to British Vogue. The pair even collaborated when Sharapova advised his company.
With their schedules packed and their lives split between Los Angeles, Miami, and Europe, wedding bells may have to wait. Still, their spontaneous Tokyo adventure showed that whether it’s a surprise 4 a.m. fish market trip or a long-awaited wedding, life with Sharapova and Gilkes is anything but ordinary.
