Unrecognisable former Wimbledon champion fangirls over Hollywood star after spotting him from Royal Box
A FORMER Wimbledon champion could not resist fangirling over a Hollywood legend in the Royal Box.
The superstar made a name for herself when she got her name on the Venus Rosewater Dish 20 years ago.
Aged just 17, she beat Serena Williams in the 2004 ladies’ singles final – starting a thrilling rivalry for the rest of their careers.
But her victory also guaranteed the £150million athlete the priceless reward of lifelong membership at the All England Club.
However, Maria Sharapova did not need her membership for the ladies’ singles final on Saturday – because she was a guest in the Royal Box.
Sharapova, 37, took her seat alongside her fiance Alexander Gilkes.
The Royal Box was packed out with celebrities including Hugh Jackman, Ellie Goulding and fellow former Wimbledon winners.
But it was someone in the hospitality seats next to the posh seats that grabbed her attention.
Sharapova took to her Instagram story with a video of herself looking glamorous in her stunning white number with dapper Gilkes.
She then panned the camera around to focus on Tom Cruise.
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The Mission Impossible actor – who was invited to enjoy the Wimbledon hospitality – was completely unaware of the recording as Sharapova laughed to the camera.
She captioned the post: “I spy with my little iPhone eye. Our neighbour Tom.”
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Zendaya, Maya Jama, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jenna Coleman and Pierce Brosnan were among the other huge names in the hospitality seats to see Barbora Krejcikova beat Jasmine Paolini.
The Czech winner then burst into tears live on TV as she remembered her late mentor and former coach Jana Novotna, who won the title in 1998 but sadly died of ovarian cancer in 2017 aged 49.
Sharapova and Gilkes also attended Day Three of the 2024 Championships.
The superstar couple are enjoying massive success in the business world with their growing empire.
They have been together since 2018, got engaged in December 2020 and welcomed their son 18 months later.
Tennis stars’ new careers
PLENTY of tennis stars have stayed involved in the sport since retiring.
But others pursued very different careers. Here are some of the best…
- I reached French Open and Wimbledon finals as a teenager but I quit to become a nun
- I won Wimbledon mixed doubles with my sister but got fed up with English weather so now run luxury B&B
- I was tipped for stardom aged 12 but retrained to become high-flying lawyer
- I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up bistro with Brazilian model girlfriend
- I’m last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I’m singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts
- I’m former world No1 but quit aged 29 – instead I went on to play professional poker and golf
- I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist