Former world’s sexiest tennis player spills details of surprising dinner date with Novak Djokovic after lost bet
MARIA SHARAPOVA has revealed spilled the beans on a shock dinner date with Novak Djokovic after losing a bet to the star.
The 36-year-old Russian, who has been dubbed the ‘world’s sexiest tennis player’, retired from the court in 2020.
That brought an end to her glittering career that included five Grand Slam victories.
The ex-world No1 was crowned the planet’s hottest athlete for four consecutive years during her heyday and was regularly included in lists of top beautiful celebrities.
Sharapova, who is in a relationship with British businessman Alexander Gilkes, has since become a mum when baby son Theodore arrived in July 2022.
However, she has now revealed how one of her first encounters with fellow tennis legend Djokovic led to an unforgettable night out with the Serbian.
Sharapova made the revelation during an appearance on ‘The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast’ after being asked whether she thought upon meeting Djokovic that he would ever go on to win an incredible 24 majors.
But she then began laughing as she told how one of their first encounters was at an exhibition event where they had actually been pitted together.
Sharapova then explained how Djokovic proposed an interesting wager on the game – and that led to a dinner date.
She said: “Oh god, no, I have this funny story with Novak.
“I remember we had won our first Grand Slams, it was at the time he was getting there, getting to the top and his body was not at the level of his tennis.
“We played this mini-exhibition at Indian Wells. I don’t remember what the bet was, but he said if he won the bet, we’re gonna go to dinner. I was like, ‘Okay, fine, whatever, like it’s going to happen.’
“Then he ended up winning and was like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to dinner…’
She then revealed how awkward the 36-year-old Djokovic, who is now married to Jelena Ristic and is a father to a boy and a girl with her, was during the dinner.
Sharapova added: “And it was so funny, he was like (at the dinner), ‘Can we take a photo?’”
She then went on to hail the star’s dedication to the game after his record-extending US Open triumph over Daniil Medvedev a fortnight ago.
She said: “I know him very well and it’s incredible to see how passionate he is, and this element of longevity he has, how he treats his body, how his preparations are, it’s fascinating.”