Maria Sharapova Spotted Heading to Work out After Engagement Reveal

Retired tennis player Maria Sharapova recently announced that she is preparing for an upcoming wedding to art collector Alexander Gilkes. She appeared in public on Friday, heading to work out in Manhattan Beach, California. Gilkes was also spotted driving around in the same area.

According to The Daily Mail, Sharapova wore workout leggings and fitness-related footwear. The chilly weather forced her to don a black Nike overcoat. This outing was her first since announcing the engagement on Instagram. It also took place roughly 10 months after she announced her retirement from professional tennis.

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"I said yes from the first day we met," Sharapova wrote on Instagram Thursday. "This was our little secret, wasn't it?" Gilkes posted his own engagement announcement on social media, writing: "Thank you for making me a very very happy boy and saying yes. I look forward to a lifetime of loving you, and learning from you [Maria Sharapova]."

While the tennis star called her relationship a secret, she and Gilkes did reveal it in October 2018. They took a trip to the Cotswolds, the latest in a series of outings. The couple had previously drawn attention at the Argento Ball for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in June 2018, as well as during multiple outings in Beverly Hills, California.

Sharapova originally announced her retirement in February. She used a piece in Vanity Fair to drop the news. She also revealed to The New York Times that her relationship with Kobe Bryant, who died in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash, impacted her decision to walk away from the sport in which she became an icon.

"I'll miss it every day," Sharapova wrote. "I'll miss the training and my daily routine: Waking up at dawn, lacing my left shoe before my right, and closing the court's gate before I hit my first ball of the day. I'll miss my team, my coaches. I'll miss the moments sitting with my father on the practice court bench."

As Sharapova continued to explain, tennis was "her mountain" during her life. Her life has been filled with several "valleys and detours," but she ultimately reached the top of her sport multiple times. Sharapova explained that the views from the peak of her mountain were incredible.

"After 28 years and five Grand Slam titles, though, I'm ready to scale another mountain — to compete on a different type of terrain," she explained. "That relentless chase for victories, though? That won't ever diminish. No matter what lies ahead, I will apply the same focus, the same work ethic, and all of the lessons I've learned along the way."