"Anything that brings more attention to tennis makes me happy" - Maria Sharapova on the rise of tenniscore-aesthetic amid 'Challengers' impact

Former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova was the latest to praise the 'Challengers' movie and its impact after positive reviews from Coco Gauff, Serena Williams, and Naomi Osaka. The Russian also revealed why the attention received by 'Tenniscore' following the movie makes her happy.

Sharapova was recently spotted at the 2024 Met Gala. The 37-year-old graced the red carpet in an organic cotton fabric daffodil yellow dress decked with floral accents designed by Prabal Gurung.

In an interview with Town and Country, Sharapova revealed why she didn't choose 'Tenniscore' as a theme for 'fashion's biggest night out' despite it experiencing a surge due to Zendaya's 'Challengers'. However, she lavished praise on the theme saying it brings more attention to the sport. The Russian was quoted as saying:

"Anything that brings more excitement and attention to tennis makes me incredibly happy, to see it weave through art and entertainment and culture is wonderful."

Tenniscore is the newest addition to the core aesthetics that have been ruling the fashion world lately. This includes athletic designs influenced by tennis which have received endorsements from several fashion labels.

In the movie, Zendaya's character is sponsored by Adidas. The actress was also spotted wearing Lacoste and Tory Burch during promotions for the movie.

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"Prabal has designed such beautiful pieces for the Met Gala" - Maria Sharapova

The 2024 Met Gala Celebrating "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" - Arrivals

In the same interview, the former World No. 1 lavished praise on her designer and revealed why she chose to wear the unique cotton attire. Sharapova said:

"Prabal has designed such beautiful pieces for the Met Gala in previous years, so it felt like a very natural choice and very much in theme with this year’s Met Gala, which is all about reawakening and flowers and the forest."

Sharapova also revealed that while she was more fond of neutral tones, she chose the yellow tone to try something unique.

"I usually prefer neutral tones in my everyday life, so it’s nice to explore different colors and wear something that’s unusual and things that you don’t expect from yourself," she said.

Every year, the Met Gala commemorates a different theme to benefit the museum's costume institute. The theme this year was 'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion'. Serena Williams was also present at the Met Gala as she graced the red carpet in Balenciaga's custom gold gown. Her sister Venus Williams wore an outfit that was adorned with round mirrored panels.