Maria Sharapova Stuns in Rare Red-Carpet Return at Paris Fashion Week – Still the Ultimate Ice Queen at 38

Under the glittering chandeliers of the Grand Palais, where the air hums with the scent of fresh blooms and whispered deals, Maria Sharapova made her triumphant return to the red carpet at Paris Fashion Week’s Spring/Summer 2026 shows. It was a moment that felt like a serve and volley from her glory days: precise, powerful, and impossible to ignore. The 38-year-old tennis legend, fresh off her August 2025 induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, glided through the throng in a custom Schiaparelli gown that paid homage to her Siberian roots—ethereal white silk cascading like fresh snow, accented with bold, sculptural shoulders evoking the unyielding peaks she once conquered on court. Her brunette locks, now a signature departure from the platinum blonde of her Wimbledon-winning youth, framed a face that hasn’t aged a day since she toppled Serena Williams in 2004. With minimal makeup highlighting those piercing blue eyes and a subtle red lip nodding to the French flair, Sharapova wasn’t just attending; she was owning the room, proving that the “Ice Queen” moniker—coined for her unflappable demeanor amid roaring crowds—translates flawlessly to the front row.

This wasn’t her first dance with Paris Fashion Week; the former world No. 1 has been a fixture since retiring in 2020, turning heads at Valentino in March 2024 with an all-black ensemble that screamed understated power, and at Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2025 show in October 2024, where she sat front row in a tweed mini that blended sporty chic with high couture. But this December 2025 appearance marked a “rare” pivot back to the spotlight after months of low-key family life in Monaco with fiancé Alexander Gilkes and their three-year-old son, Theodore. “Fashion has always been my second serve,” Sharapova quipped to Vogue post-show, her voice carrying that familiar steely edge softened by motherhood. “It’s where I can channel the intensity without the baseline rallies.” Fans on Instagram echoed the sentiment, flooding her 12 million followers’ feeds with fire emojis: “Ice Queen melting hearts at 38,” one captioned, while another gushed, “From Grand Slams to gowns—Maria does it all effortlessly.”

Born April 19, 1987, in the remote oil town of Nyagan, Russia, Sharapova’s path to icon status was forged in grit. At age six, she caught Martina Navratilova’s eye during a Moscow clinic, leading to a bold family move to Florida with just $700 in her pocket. By 17, she was the third-youngest Wimbledon champion, upsetting Serena in a final that silenced doubters and launched a career Grand Slam: Wimbledon (2004), US Open (2006), Australian Open (2008), and two French Opens (2012, 2014). Her five majors, 36 WTA titles, and Olympic silver in 2012 cemented her as a force, but it was her off-court empire that redefined athlete branding. Forbes crowned her the highest-paid female athlete for 11 straight years, amassing over $285 million in endorsements from Nike to Evian, plus her candy line Sugarpova, now a $500 million global sensation. The 2016 meldonium suspension tested her resolve, but she roared back, winning the 2017 Tianjin Open before hanging up her racket at 32, citing a body weary from 19 years of battle.

Post-retirement, Sharapova’s world expanded beyond baselines. She’s a venture capitalist backing female-led startups through her 2018 mentorship program, a wellness advocate with investments in Supergoop! and Therabody, and a devoted mom who recently shared a poignant tribute to architect Frank Gehry after his December 2025 passing—the man behind her Tiffany & Co. earrings collection, designed light enough for on-court wear. Yet, in a candid November 2025 interview on The David Rubenstein Show, she admitted the ache of stepping away: “I don’t want to be a sad version of my old self. Tennis was quick, reactive, powerful—without it, it’s just echoes.” Her Hall of Fame speech in August, delivered with humor and grace (and a shoutout to Serena for prepping her with an hour-long mock interview), underscored that resilience: “Who would have thought this Siberian girl with a dream would stand here?”

As Paris Fashion Week wrapped, Sharapova slipped away to a quiet dinner with Gilkes, their combined $200 million net worth a testament to parallel empires built on auction houses (his Paddle8) and sweet successes (hers). At 38, she’s not chasing aces anymore—she’s serving looks, lessons, and legacies. The Ice Queen has thawed just enough to remind us: true champions evolve, but they never fade.