This screenshot of Maria Sharapova's official Instagram page shows the former world number one tennis player holding her first child Theodore with her fiance Alexander Gilkes.

Former world number one Maria Sharapova announced the birth of her first child Theodore on Friday, sharing a picture of the newborn along with her fiance.

"The most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift our little family could ask for," Sharapova, who is engaged to British businessman Alexander Gilkes, said in a post on Instagram.

The Russian five-time Grand Slam champion retired from tennis in 2020.

READ MORE: Five-time major winner Sharapova retires aged 32

Although she competed under the Russian flag during her career - and is the only Russian woman to have won a career Grand Slam - Sharapova has lived in the United States since she came to the country as a young tennis prodigy.