Maria Sharapova commanded attention in a orange suit as she attended day one of the US Open in New York City on Monday.

Instead of battling it out on the court, the former Russian tennis player, 35, seemed in high spirits as she took a seat in the crowd to watch US’s Coco Gauff beat Germany’s Laura Siegemund in the first round.

Maria looked incredible in the eye catching fitted blazer and matching flared trousers from Gabriela Hearst.

She added inches to her frame in a pair of towering cream heels and toted her belongings around in a matching handbag.

The former athlete left her blonde tresses loose and accessorised with a pair of chunky sunglasses as she posed for pictures on the opening night red carpet.

Maria, who welcomed a son Theodore in 2022 with fiancé Alexander Gilkes, added that since becoming a mum and retiring she is less strict on herself.

She said: ‘Ultimately, after you do have a child, there are so many other more important responsibilities that you have to take care of. If I miss a workout one day, I give myself that break. Or if I want to be spoil myself and eat a cookie at midday randomly, then that’s okay too. So I think it’s finding the right moments of that balance.’

But her career was marred by a 2016 failed drugs test, which saw Sharapova suspended for two years after she was found to have ingested meldonium, a substance which had been banned at the start of that year, ahead of the Australian Open.

Her suspension was later reduced to 15 months after she was found to have taken the drug as per her doctor’s advice, and Sharapova returned to competition in April 2017, and won the Tianjin Open seven months later.

After struggling with chronic shoulder issues for a number of years, Sharapova announced her retirement in 2020, sharing an emotional goodbye message with her followers that spoke to her deep connection to the game.

‘How do you leave behind the only life you’ve ever known?,’ Sharapova wrote.

‘How do you walk away from the courts you’ve trained on since you were a little girl, the game that you love – one which brought you untold tears and unspeakable joys – a sport where you found a family, along with fans who rallied behind you for more than 28 years?

‘I’m new to this, so please forgive me. Tennis – I’m saying goodbye.’

Since retiring three years ago, Sharapova welcomed her son and now devotes herself to her investment portfolio, which includes stakes in sports brands such as UFC and wellness tech company Therabody.