Wimbledon champion looks unrecognisable two decades on from SW19 victory

Maria Sharapova may be nearing her 40s but the five-time Grand Slam winner has been pictured looking as young and beautiful as ever at Wimbledon. The 37-year-old was once voted the world's most attractive athlete and while she has not been on the tennis courts for some time now, she's still hitting it out the park with her looks.

Despite being one of the most famous tennis players the world has ever seen, fans were left gobsmacked at the star's youthful look.

Sharapova has been pictured at this year's Wimbledon event by the official Instagram account who has welcomed back the elite tennis player with open arms.

The caption to the post read: "Welcome back to Centre, @mariasharapova" alongside a waving hand emoji.

Fans reacted to the post with lots of support and compliments, as one wrote: "Wow! She looks amazing. Wimbledon suits her well" alongside a winking face emoji.

Another said: "Can't believe it's 20 years." A third added: "It's a pleasure to see you healthy and happy Maria. Keep smiling."

Sharapova hit the tennis scene in 2004 and shocked the world by beating Serena Williams to win Wimbledon at just 17. This bombshell win was considered to be one of the most incredible upsets in sporting history at the time.

Sharapova went on to win four more major titles and was ranked number one in the world for a total of 21 weeks.

The star was also the highest-paid female tennis player in the world between the years of 2006 and 2016, mainly down to the various off-court endorsements that she secured due to her high-quality skill.

Forbes reports that Sharapova took in over $350 million (£275m) over her 19-year career, with a whopping $300m (£235m) earned off the court.

Sharapova retired aged just 33 in 2020 after losing in the first round of the Australian Open.