Maria Sharapova may have disappeared from the radar since retiring in 2020, but fans have been left behind by her new look.
Famous for her blonde locks that saw her win all four Grand Slams and become the number one female, the Russian has looked pretty unrecognizable from her playing days.
Posting an update to her 4.5 million Instagram followers, the 36-year-old wrote: “When your photo album has a few new photos other than your child.”
A number of fans were surprised by her new brunette look, having become one of the most famous athletes in the world in her prime with a very different style.
Bursting onto the scene in 2004, 17-year-old Sharapova beat Serena Williams at Wimbledon to win her first Slam and created a potentially defining rivalry for the era.
Williams won that particular battle, but Sharapova went on to a career that many would envy, winning the US Open two years later, the Australian Open in 2008 and two French Opens in 2012 and 2014.
After that, she suffered from chronic shoulder problems and opted to end her playing career in February 2020 after 28 years on the pitch.
Writing in a moving farewell, she said: ‘How do you leave behind the only life you’ve ever known?
“How do you leave the courts you have trained on since you were a little girl, the game you love – the one that has brought you untold tears and untold joys – a sport where you have found a family, with fans who have rallied behind you for over 28 years?
“I’m new to this, so please excuse me. Tennis – I say goodbye to you.
Since then, she has been enjoying her retirement, giving birth to her first child, Theodore, who takes up much of her social media activity.
Sports
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