Rich Pelley 

Sunday with Maria Sharapova: ‘If I need gardening help, my mother takes over’

The tennis star considers roast dinners, returning to Wimbledon and whether her young son Theo will follow in her footsteps
  
  

‘My son likes flowers. Every park we go to, he’ll pick a few leaves and give them to strangers…’ Maria Sharapova.
‘My son likes flowers. Every park we go to, he’ll pick a few leaves and give them to strangers’: Maria Sharapova. Photograph: Stéphane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images

Sunday nosh? I like a British Sunday roast. We’ll go to the Surprise in Chelsea or the Pelican in Notting Hill. My fiancé [auctioneer Alexander Gilkes] is British, so I get all the British traditions. He loves theatre and galleries, but we have to make sure everything is child-friendly for our son, Theo.

Younger Sundays? Tennis finals were always at the weekend. If I was competing, then it meant I’d had a successful tournament. Now I appreciate that I can dedicate weekends to Theo.

When did you last whop a tennis ball? It’s been a while. I should really start to do that with my son.

Is Theo going to become a tennis champ? It’s too early to tell. If he wants to pick up tennis, great. I took him to Wimbledon for the first time this year, which I was very excited about. This is the first time I’ve attended as a spectator. It’s now 20 years since I won the tournament.

Why so long? Life got in the way! I do love the spirit of Wimbledon. It’s so exciting. This is a sport I’ve been a part of since I was a young girl. To see people embrace something that I was so passionate about for a long time is really nice.

Sunday jobs? I’m not really a gardener. I’ve never really been good at it – my mother’s so much better than me, so if I need any help, she usually takes over. My son likes flowers. Every park we go to, he’ll pick a few leaves and give them to strangers, which is very sweet and they take it as a compliment, but then he wants them back.

Hate Mondays? I don’t dislike them as much as some people do. I’ve been working since I was young, so the idea of having an agenda is very familiar. I actually appreciate Mondays because you get to set goals for the week ahead.

Maria Sharapova is global wellness ambassador for Aman Resorts

 

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