On 35th birthday, Maria Sharapova reveals she's pregnant

You post on social media on your birthday—with a flex; with a note of thanks for all who've helped you throughout the past year; with a picture of younger days—and you're bound to get positive reaction. You'll rack up the Likes alongside a trove of virtual birthday messages.

On Tuesday, Maria Sharapova turned 35. She posted on Instagram, but the reaction to this particular birthday post will supersede any previous one.

That's because Sharapova announced that she's pregnant:

Sharapova retired from professional tennis in 2020, just before the pandemic, with five Grand Slam singles titles (including a career Slam) and a 21-week stint as the WTA No. 1. She is the only Russian woman to have won a career Grand Slam.

Blue-checkmarked accounts and plenty of Sharapova's 4.2 million Instagram followers wished the former great congratulations for the announcement, including her husband, Alexander Gilkes (@gilkesa)

This wasn't the first big reveal Sharapova has made on IG. In late 2020, she announced her engagement on the platform.

We will continue to update this developing story.