Maria Sharapova: From Blonde Tennis Hero to Brunette Business Mama (And She Looks Totally Different!)

Published 09 Jul 2026 (updated 07:36 same day) – a simple retelling of a Daily Star article

Once Upon a Time: A Tennis Superstar

Maria Sharapova is a lady from Russia who became one of the most famous tennis players ever. Imagine playing a game where you hit a ball over a net, and doing it so well that the whole world knows your name! She stopped playing professionally in 2020, and now, at age 39, she looks quite different than before.

Important: Maria was a Wimbledon icon (Wimbledon is a super famous tennis tournament). Fans were recently stunned because she changed her look a lot after leaving the sport.

Her Striking Transformation: Blonde to Brunette

When Maria played tennis, she had bright blonde hair that was almost as famous as her wins. But after she hung up her racket (that means she stopped playing), she dyed her hair dark brown (brunette).

• She swapped her striking blonde locks for an elegant dark style.
• Fans say she is now "unrecognisable" – like they can barely tell it’s the same person!
• She first showed her new look at a fancy party in Italy: the Hotel Il Pellicano’s 60th anniversary celebration in Monte Argentario. She was there with her British partner, Alex Gilkes.

Why did people notice so much? Because when she was a teenager, she beat Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2004, and that win plus her blonde hair made her a superstar. Now the hair is dark, and she looks like a new person.

Important: Maria Sharapova, 39, called time on her tennis career in 2020. Her new brunette hair left supporters astonished.

(The original article also invited readers to "JOIN US ON FB!" to get sports news on Facebook – just a note that the newspaper wanted you to like their page.)

Her Tennis Achievements: Like Collecting All the Gold Stars

In tennis, there are four super-big tournaments called Grand Slams. Winning all four over your career is like completing a magical set. Maria did exactly that!

Here are the big wins in order (numbered for easy reading):

1. Wimbledon (grass courts, England) – 2004: She was a teenager and beat Serena Williams. This made her the third-youngest woman ever to win Wimbledon!
2. US Open (hard courts, USA) – 2006
3. Australian Open (hard courts, Australia) – 2008
4. French Open (clay courts, France) – 2012 and again in 2014 (she also was runner-up in 2013)

Because she won all four, she became the first Russian player to complete a career Grand Slam. That’s a history-book moment!

• She also got an Olympic silver medal at the London 2012 Games, but lost the final to (you guessed it) Serena Williams.
• Outside the court, a magazine called Maxim named her "the hottest athlete in the world" for four years in a row.
• From 2005 to 2011, the business magazine Forbes listed her among the top 100 most powerful celebrities worldwide.
• She even modeled for Sports Illustrated, a famous sports magazine.
• Photos in the original article also showed Maria and Alex at Wimbledon in 2024, proving they still enjoy tennis events together.

A Bumpy Moment: The Drug Test

Not everything was perfect. In 2016, Maria had a problem:

• She failed a drugs test for a substance called meldonium (a medicine that was not allowed).
• She was initially given a two-year ban (meaning she couldn’t play), but it was reduced to 15 months.
• Maria said it was an accident. She explained she was following her doctor’s advice and didn’t know the medicine was on the banned list of WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency – the group that makes rules about what athletes can’t take).

Important: The ban was a tough time, but she said it was an unintentional error and served her time away from the court.

Life After Tennis: Love, Baby, and Big Business

Since 2020, Maria has been living a fancy, happy life:

• She enjoys lavish holidays with her fiancé Alex Gilkes, who asked her to marry him in December 2020.
• In July 2022, they had a son named Theodore. Maria’s Instagram (a photo-sharing app) now says "Mama" proudly.
• She earned about £31 million in prize money from tennis – that’s a lot of toy money!

But she didn’t just relax. She became a businesswoman:

Companies she started or invested in:

• Sugarpova: her own candy (sweets) brand, started while she played.
• Supergoop: a sunscreen company (lotion to protect from sun) – she invested during her playing days.
• Therabody: a wellness gadget company she supports after retirement.
• Moncler: a fancy fashion house where she became a director (like a boss helper) in 2022.
• She is an advisor (gives tips) to brands called Naked Retail and Bright.
• She owns little pieces (shares) of other companies: UFC (fighting league), Tonal (exercise tech), Public.com (investing app), Moonpay (crypto money), and Clio Snacks (food).

A Note From the Original Article’s Box

The original newspaper had a special box about their Gold Star service (a paid membership). To keep all info:

• Gold Star is a premium digital service with fewer ads.
• For £1.99 a month or £12 a year (launch offer), you get ad-lite reading, exclusive articles, special offers, and fun picks called "Gold Nuggets".
• It’s described as the latest chapter of the Daily Star with even less advertising.

(We include this so nothing is missed, but it’s just the newspaper talking about itself!)

Summary

Maria Sharapova was a Russian tennis legend who won all four Grand Slams, an Olympic silver, and lots of fame. She retired in 2020 at age 39, dyed her hair brown, and shocked fans with her new look at an Italy event. She is now a mom to Theodore with fiancé Alex Gilkes, and a smart businesswoman with candy, sunscreen, fashion, and tech investments. Though she had a short ban for a medicine mistake, her story is one of big wins and fresh starts.

FAQ

1. Why did Maria Sharapova change her hair color?
She simply swapped her famous blonde hair for dark brown after retiring from tennis in 2020. Fans were surprised because she looked so different!

2. What does "career Grand Slam" mean in kid terms?
It means winning the four biggest tennis tournaments (Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open, French Open) at some point in your playing life. Maria was the first Russian to do all four.

3. What happened with the drug ban?
In 2016 she took a medicine called meldonium that was banned by sports rules. She said it was an accident because her doctor told her to take it and she didn’t know it was forbidden. She got a 15-month break from tennis.

4. What is Maria doing now besides being a mom?
She runs her candy brand Sugarpova, sits on the board of fashion brand Moncler, advises other companies, and invests in many businesses like sunscreen and tech apps.

5. How much prize money did she make from tennis?
About £31 million – that’s like a giant mountain of coins!