Tennis fans were stunned to see a five-time Grand Slam champion sporting her new look at the Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix weekend welcomed a surprise guest after Maria Sharapova turned up for the Formula 1 festivities. However, fans would have been forgiven for not recognising the former titan of tennis.
That’s after the ex-world No. 1 showed up in Monte Carlo looking a lot different to the five-time Grand Slam-winner that once dominated the court. Sharapova, 37, was once an imperious force in women’s tennis and collected five major titles between 2004 and 2014.
Renowned for her blonde locks, the Russian beauty has since converted to brunette but was looking equally radiant regardless of her shade. And despite not being a natural petrolhead, the retired star appeared to be soaking up the atmosphere in her F1 venture.
“Not my typical weekend of very fancy and very fast cars ????????????,” wrote Sharapova in an Instagram post commemorating her trip. “Slide 4. Expectations for my next tire change back home.”
The slide in question showed footage of Lewis Hamilton having his tyres changed during a pitstop at the Monaco GP, where he went on to finish seventh. It appeared Sharapova – who won Wimbledon in 2004 before adding two French Open crowns in 2012 and 2014 – was a guest in the Mercedes section given her close-range view of the Silver Arrows paddock.
A separate post showed Sharapova speaking at an event with seven-time world champion Hamilton that same weekend. And she again looked eye-catching while sporting her brunette look in a red Stella McCartney dress.
While she may have reigned supreme on the tennis totem at one point in her career, Sharapova saw her reputation tarnished after her career concluded following a doping scandal. It was announced in 2016 that Sharapova had tested positive for meldonium, which was added to WADA’s banned substance list in January that year.
Despite being up front about her long-term use of the drug, Sharapova’s appeal was only partially successful as she saw her suspension reduced from 24 months to 15 months. She also lost numerous sponsorship deals due to the controversy, as well as her role as a United Nations Development Programme ambassador.
Following her return to the court in late 2017, Sharapova exhibited a notable dip in her performances and struggled to compete to the same standard in Grand Slams. She made just one major quarter-final appearance at the 2018 French Open before ultimately hanging up her racket in 2020.
Four years on and the former superstar appears content in retirement, having married British businessman Alexander Gilkes not long after stepping away from the court. The couple have since welcomed their first child, a son, in 2022.
