Maria Sharapova returned to the US Open in Flushing Meadows in her best role yet — mom.
The 36-year-old Russian — who welcomed a son, Theodore, with her fiancé Alexander Gilkes, on July 1, 2022 — turned heads in a red power suit when she attended opening day Monday.
She’s thrilled to just be a spectator.
“I’m very happy with where I am at this stage of life,” Sharapova told People in an interview published Tuesday. “I appreciate what the sport has taught me and where it’s taken me, but I definitely love seeing it from the outside now.”
Sharapova, a former World No. 1, retired from tennis in February 2020, a month after her first-round defeat to then-No. 19 Donna Vekic at the Australian Open.
She now has a new appreciation for watching the game from the sidelines.
“I love it,” Sharapova said about being a spectator at the US Open, which is underway through Sept. 10. “I love having an outsider’s perspective. I love watching the new generations unfold, and the sport in general.
“In fact, I think the US Open is the only tennis event that I’ve been to in person since I retired. It’s a really special one, with the energy of the crowds there.”
Sharapova — a five-time Grand Slam champ — attended the tournament with fashion designer Gabriela Hearst, and shared a photo of the pair on her Instagram Story.
They were seen sitting near legendary designer Vera Wang and Anna Wintour, the longtime editor-in-chief of Vogue.
“The suit game was red hot this week,” Sharapova wrote on Instagram, referring to her designer ensemble.
Sharapova took on a different type of role at the US Open this year.
The Evian ambassador is the captain of the SS Evian, which is a floating tennis court that will sail up and down the Hudson River during the men’s final Sept. 10.
Sharapova, who announced her pregnancy on her 35th birthday in April 2022, explained that many things have taken a backseat to motherhood.
“Ultimately, after you do have a child, there are so many other more important responsibilities that you have to take care of,” she said. “If I miss a workout one day, I give myself that break. Or if I want to be spoil myself and eat a cookie at midday randomly, then that’s okay too. So I think it’s finding the right moments of that balance.
“I have a lot of different business ventures, and still need to find time to be a mom. So I’m lucky to have lots of support through my husband and my family. But every week presents a new set of challenges!”
Sharapova confirmed her engagement to Gilkes, a British businessman and co-founder of online auction house Paddle8, in December 2020.
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