Tennis ace Maria Sharapova calls America's Cup the '˜ultimate sailing experience'
SPORTING star Maria Sharapova swapped tennis courts for the water in Southsea on Saturday.
The 29-year-old was one of tens of thousands to visit the city to watch the opening day of action in the America’s Cup.
The Russian arrived to see the tail end of The Blades’ aerial display, before watching Sir Ben Ainslie and the Land Rover BAR storm to victory, winning two of the first three races in impressive fashion.
The former world number one was on a boat in the Solent and took to Twitter to tell of her delight at the Portsmouth spectacle.
Posting a selfie on her official social media account – which is followed by 3.48 million people – she described the action as: ‘The ultimate sailing experience.’
Sharapova is currently serving a two-year drugs ban after she was caught using a banned substance.
She has used her time away from the sport to hone new skills, including spending a week of work experience at an advertising firm in London and enrolling at Harvard’s Business School.