Almost 21 years after her emphatic triumph at the iconic SW19, the five-time major champion, Maria Sharapova, once again has made her presence felt at Wimbledon. If we take a look at the history, in 2004, Sharapova defeated the two-time defending champion, Serena Williams, in the final by 6-1,6-4 to win her first major title. She was then just 17 years old, and while reacting to that victory in 2014, Sharapova said, “I look at all my achievements and I think of that moment, being 17 years old and one of the biggest stages of my career, to be able to come up with the tennis and the goods, as I was able to do, in the second week of the tournament…I’m very proud of those achievements.“

Fast forward to 2025, she is back again at the iconic Grand Slam tournament, but this time, Maria Sharapova is not alone. She’s now joined by soccer star, David Beckham. The 38-year-old recently shared an image of her with the English soccer legend on her IG with the caption, “Let the (Wimbledon) games begin 🎾🥳.” Stars Galore at Wimbledon 2025!

But what’s interesting from this iconic picture is that the five-time Grand Slam winner seems to have undergone a major transformation. During her playing days, she was arguably one of the world’s most recognizable sports stars, but post-retirement, she’s switched up her look quite a bit. She has changed her blonde hair to a darker color. She is often seen sporting her brown locks on social media, and this stark contrast to her usual blonde tresses drew a lot of attention even during her attendance at the 60th anniversary celebration of the Hotel II Pellicano in Monte Argentario, Italy, in the last month. And now, her picture with Beckham has become the new talk of the town.

However, unlike Sharapova, David Beckham is a regular attendee at Wimbledon. He is frequently seen in the Royal Box and has also been spotted enjoying watching the racket sport with his family over the years. 

Coming back to Maria Sharapova, this place holds a very special place in her heart. For example, in 2018, during an interview when she was asked to reveal the biggest shock of her career (both in tennis and business), Sharapova said, “The biggest surprise in my career was when I won Wimbledon at 17 years old. You don’t really recognize the magnitude of the victory at that age. I was so young, and I never felt that I was ready for that type of victory.“

No matter what she does in her life now, that epic moment of winning her first major title against such a formidable opponent in such a special venue will always remain a special thing in her life. But how different has her life been since her retirement?

Maria Sharapova talks about her experience of motherhood

Throughout her 19-year-long professional career, Maria Sharapova won 36 titles, including five major triumphs. Her fans had never expected her to bring an end to her career so early. But injuries and several other factors led her to that conclusion. While talking about the exact reasons behind her retirement during a podcast with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly in March 2024, she said, “It (talking about her body) was challenged for several years. And ultimately, I let a little bit of stubbornness get in the way of those last few years. I tried so hard to get my body back. But you can’t turn back time, right? Like when something’s damaged and something’s broken.“

She further added, “You have to like, admit it and move on, and stubbornness that once propelled me to greatness, eventually, I think, was getting in the way of better things.” But how has her life been since her retirement?

Well, when she was asked this question in December 2020, Maria Sharapova said that it was “very different” from what she had pictured while making this decision. Then, after the birth of her first child, it was a completely new experience for the tennis star. Last year, when she came to London to attend the Wimbledon Championships, she gave an interview with Martina Navratilova and Steve Weissman on the Tennis Channel.

During that interview, he was asked to share her experience of parenthood and in reply to that, Sharapova said, “It’s going. There are a lot of negotiation skills that go on with parenthood which I didn’t know that the negotiations that I learned through my career in business and in the sport that I would apply to parenthood. But I’m learning about that every day. You got to give something to take something.”

Having said that, Maria Sharapova also mentioned that she thinks becoming a mother has been one of the best things that has ever happened to her in her life. “I get to learn through his actions and his findings. He’s exploring the world, and I get to explore with him,” said the Russian star.