Maria Sharapova's new man has a very royal connection
Maria Sharapova has gone public with her new romance with a man connected to the British royal family.
Moving on from her relationship with fellow tennis star Grigor Dimitrov, Sharapova is now dating a good friend of Prince William and Prince Harry.
The Russian star has been linked to British millionaire Alexander Gilkes since January, and they were spotted together at a Vanity Fair event recently.
And she’s now shared pictures from their romantic getaway in London.
“Fall in the Cotswolds,” the 31-year-old wrote on Instagram, along with an emoji of a boy and girl couple.
A post shared by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on Oct 13, 2018 at 10:10am PDT
Gilkes, 39, is the co-founder and president of online auction house Paddle8.
He also posted a photo in the Cotswolds, to which Sharapova commented: “Your photographer is better than mine.”
The Cotwold’s Fields of Gold… retracing childhood steps #thefall
A post shared by Alexander Gilkes (@gilkesa) on Oct 13, 2018 at 10:09am PDT
Gilkes was reportedly sighted at the US Open in August, cheering Sharapova on.
He was previously married to Misha Nonoo, who is said to be Harry and Meghan Markle’s matchmaker.
Gilkes reportedly became friends with Prince William when they both attended Eton.
He also attended Prince Eugenie’s wedding last week, posting on Instagram to mark the occasion.
A post shared by Alexander Gilkes (@gilkesa) on Oct 13, 2018 at 2:34pm PDT
Gilkes’ younger brother Charlie is believed to have dated Pippa Middleton during their time at Edinburgh University.
Sharapova’s horror year on court
Sharapova has reached just one grand slam quarter-final since returning to the tour last April, and has won just one tournament – the relatively tiny event in Tianjin last year.
After falling in the US Open fourth round for the second year running, Sharapova called time on her 2018 season due to a shoulder injury.
“Unfortunately as I recover from my right shoulder injury, I am withdrawing from Beijing, Tianjin and Moscow,” Sharapova said in a statement on the WTA website.
“I will miss competing at each of these tournaments, but it is important that I allow for proper rest and recovery in the upcoming weeks.”
The five-time major champion also lost in the first round at Wimbledon.
The WTA said Sharapova expects to start her 2019 season at the Shenzhen Open, which begins December 31.
