World’s sexiest tennis star stuns with Rita Ora & Idris Elba at intimate dinner

MARIA SHARAPOVA enjoyed a special dinner in Mayfair last night commemorating 20 years since her famous Wimbledon triumph.

The Russian, 37, beat Serena Williams on July 3, 2004 as a 17-year-old to lift the Venus Rosewater dish.

She went on to win five Grand Slam titles, before hanging up her racquet in February 2020.

Sharapova has been back in SW19, and yesterday took in the action from the Royal Box.

She watched compatriot Daniil Medvedev triumph in four tough sets over Frenchman Alexandre Muller.

Then she saw four-time Major champion Naomi Osaka lose to 19th seed Emma Navarro in under an hour.

In the evening, Sharapova headed into Mayfair to celebrate her special 20-year anniversary.

The intimate dinner was attended by several celebrities, including singer Rita Ora and actor Idris Elba.

Activist Malala Yousafzai was also there, while a number of figures from the fashion industry, in which Sharapova has featured prominently, also showed up.

The event was hosted by business moguls Imran Ahmed and Kristina Romanova.

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Sharapova and Co dined at the exclusive The Twenty Two restaurant in Mayfair.

Earlier this week, Sharapova was shown around an empty Centre Court as she took a trip down memory lane.

As for the current crop of stars, she has been particularly impressed by Coco Gauff, on and off the court.

Sharapova said of the American: “I was waiting for Coco to get up there.

“I remember attending the first round of her match which was a tough match at the US Open and then I went back home and then I was contemplating coming back and I just wanted to witness her win because I think she has such an amazing head on her shoulders.

“I think she has a voice and a platform that’s going to transcend the sport.

“As we know now sport is not just tennis, it’s fashion, it’s art, it’s culture, it’s having a platform, and I think she does brilliantly of merging all of those together.”