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.
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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.
Maria Sharapova and her son, Theodore celebrating her birthday in April 2023.
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Maria Sharapova and her son, Theodore celebrating her birthday in April 2023.
Instagram/Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova attends the opening night on day one of the 2023 US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 28, 2023 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
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Maria Sharapova attends day one of the 2023 US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
GC Images
“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.
