DINNER DATE
World’s sexiest tennis star stuns with Rita Ora and Idris Elba at intimate dinner for 20th anniversary of Wimbledon win
Sharapova raced over to Mayfair from the Royal Box
MARIA SHARAPOVA enjoyed a special dinner in Mayfair last night commemorating 20 years since her famous Wimbledon triumph.
The Russian, 37, beat Serena Williams on July 3, 2004 as a 17-year-old to lift the Venus Rosewater dish.
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She went on to win five Grand Slam titles, before hanging up her racquet in February 2020.
Sharapova has been back in SW19, and yesterday took in the action from the Royal Box.
She watched compatriot Daniil Medvedev triumph in four tough sets over Frenchman Alexandre Muller.
Then she saw four-time Major champion Naomi Osaka lose to 19th seed Emma Navarro in under an hour.
In the evening, Sharapova headed into Mayfair to celebrate her special 20-year anniversary.
The intimate dinner was attended by several celebrities, including singer Rita Ora and actor Idris Elba.
Activist Malala Yousafzai was also there, while a number of figures from the fashion industry, in which Sharapova has featured prominently, also showed up.
The event was hosted by business moguls Imran Ahmed and Kristina Romanova.
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Sharapova and Co dined at the exclusive The Twenty Two restaurant in Mayfair.
Earlier this week, Sharapova was shown around an empty Centre Court as she took a trip down memory lane.
Maria Sharapova arrives at the 2024 Met Gala
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As for the current crop of stars, she has been particularly impressed by Coco Gauff, on and off the court.
Sharapova said of the American: "I was waiting for Coco to get up there.
"I remember attending the first round of her match which was a tough match at the US Open and then I went back home and then I was contemplating coming back and I just wanted to witness her win because I think she has such an amazing head on her shoulders.
"I think she has a voice and a platform that's going to transcend the sport.
"As we know now sport is not just tennis, it's fashion, it's art, it's culture, it's having a platform, and I think she does brilliantly of merging all of those together."
Tennis stars’ new careers
PLENTY of tennis stars have stayed involved in the sport since retiring.
But others pursued very different careers. Here are some of the best…
- I reached French Open and Wimbledon finals as a teenager but I quit to become a nun
- I won Wimbledon mixed doubles with my sister but got fed up with English weather so now run luxury B&B
- I was tipped for stardom aged 12 but retrained to become high-flying lawyer
- I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up bistro with Brazilian model girlfriend
- I’m last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I’m singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts
- I'm former world No1 but quit aged 29 - instead I went on to play professional poker and golf
- I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist