"Just like in my grandmother's kitchen" - Maria Sharapova shows off her culinary skills, learns how to make naan during Abu Dhabi vacation

Maria Sharapova recently displayed her culinary skills as she learned how to make naan, a type of Indian bread, while on vacation in Abu Dhabi.

Sharapova recently rang in her 37th birthday, commencing the festivities early by enjoying a pre-birthday getaway to Spain with her fiance Alexander Gilkes.

The Russian shared a glimpse of their trip on social media and raved about the delicious local cuisine they enjoyed in San Sebastian.

"Eating ( so much eating!! 😳)and walking (very little walking in ratio to eating 😅) our way through San Sebastián for a little pre birthday getaway. 🍄‍🟫 The cheesecake at La Vina alone was worth every bit of jet lag," she captioned her Instagram post.

Continuing the celebrations, the former World No. 1 has taken a trip to Abu Dhabi for more adventures. Embracing the "sunny paradise," she tried her hand at sandboarding, rode an ATV bike and ran on the dunes in the desert.

Maria Sharapova broadened her horizons further by taking part in a cooking lesson at the renowned Ecole Ducasse culinary school. Taking the activity "seriously," the five-time Grand Slam champion fondly reminisced about being in her grandmother's kitchen.

"Taking things very seriously. 😐 Making Naan for the very first time. Just like in my grandmother's kitchen 🥰," she posted on her Instagram story.

Sharapova documented the process of making the naans on social media as she worked under the chef's guidance.

"I was supposed to roll the dough into tear drop shapes. 🤔," she posted on her Instagram story.

She also hilariously showed off the difference between her "crispy" naan and the chef's "soft" one, seemingly having left hers in the oven for too long.

"Would you like yours soft or crispy 🤷‍♀️🤣," she wrote.

Maria Sharapova: "I envisioned post-retirement, traveling around the world, and then I gave birth to Theo"

Although Maria Sharapova appears to be enjoying her vacation in Abu Dhabi, she has previously opened up about her feelings of "guilt" when taking trips as a new mother. The Russian and her fiance Alexander Gilkes welcomed their first child, son Theo, in July 2022.

Sharapova discussed how her mindset had changed since becoming a mother, disclosing that she carefully considered whether any trip away from her son was truly important.

"I was just saying, the guilt that you feel like leaving the house as a new mom. Going through my teens and my 20s, early 30s was like, I got this down. I'm a tough girl. I'm gonna be okay leaving my child," she said on the 'Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard' podcast.

"[But] Oh no, I leave the house and I think twice about it. Yeah. Like what's the purpose of my trip? Is it really important? Your thought perspective, just completely changes," she added.

The former World No. 1 also joked that while she had envisioned her post-retirement life to include lots of travel, her priorities changed dramatically since giving birth to her son, Theo..

"I envisioned post-retirement, traveling around the world, and experiencing, these amazing cities from different perspective and then I gave birth to Theo, and then my world just revolves around him and work and yeah, and I don't know when I'm going on vacation," Maria Sharapova said.