Maria Sharapova, 37, is a former world No 1 tennis player. In 2004, aged 17, she became the first Russian woman to win Wimbledon, when she defeated the defending champion Serena Williams. At the age of six, she moved to Florida with her father to train at the IMG Academy and now lives in Los Angeles with her British fiancé, Alexander Gilkes, and their son, Theo.

During Wimbledon, I’d escape the spotlight by taking long walks on Wimbledon Common, or picnic in Hyde Park with my favourite dessert, strawberries and cream, which always tastes more delicious in London during the tournament. We usually spend several weeks in the UK during summer seeing Alexander’s family — and I recently went back to Wimbledon with my son, Theo, to show him my name on the champion’s board. It was a full-circle moment taking him to a place that was so meaningful in my career.

I was 19 when I went on my first holiday, to Amanpuri, a luxury beach resort in Phuket, Thailand, with my mum and a few girlfriends. Everything had the wow factor — especially the meals. I’m a big foodie and gained a few pounds because we were always enticed by some tempting rice dish, be it coconut, jasmine or served with mango.

When I played at the French Open in Paris I’d live at the Park Hyatt near the Place Vendôme for three weeks at a time — whenever I return the memories come flooding back. Hotel staff become like family when you stay somewhere for so long; while I was there for a meeting last year they brought over an engraved toy for Theo.

Sharapova travelled through Scotland aboard the Royal Scotsman

BELMOND

A few years ago my mum and I decided to travel through Scotland by train on the Royal Scotsman. It was my first time in the country and it was stunning. We explored Edinburgh before boarding, hiked in the misty Highlands and loved sharing a cabin for a couple of nights on board.

When I won the 2012 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, part of the prize package was a Porsche 911. For its first big spin, my friends told me to drive up the coast on Highway One in California. I drove to Big Sur and en route I fell in love with Santa Barbara and San Ysidro Ranch, which is surrounded by citrus groves, rose gardens, cypresses and waterfalls. It has a gorgeous pool too. I love nature, so always try to do my workouts outdoors.

I’m on the board of the luxury fashion brand Moncler, which involves making regular trips to Milan. During my last visit, when our meeting finished, I looked online and found two seats left for the Madina ballet at La Scala that evening. I love that travel can be so spontaneous — especially in Europe.

However, one of my favourite things to do is plan holidays, and when we decided on the Basque region in Spain, I booked a table at Asador Etxebarri, which only has about ten tables. The space is beautiful, and it doesn’t feel as inaccessible as some of the other world’s best restaurants. We also went to Elkano, where the majority of the food is cooked on an outdoor wood-fire grill. It was exceptional.

During the summer, I take any chance to escape to Lake Como. Last year, I stayed at Passalacqua with a friend and we had such a wonderful time that I went back with Alexander for my birthday in April. It’s so mellow there that I just stared out of the window, looking at the mountains, hillside and reflections in the lake.

I’ve always been excited to visit Dubrovnik but when I eventually got there in 2021 it wasn’t what I expected — probably because we arrived at the height of summer, so it was very busy. We rented a boat and found our way to lovely Lopud, a small car-free island off the Dalmatian coast. We ate fresh fish, soaking up the simple and charming vibe while watching locals taking a dip in the water.

Lopud is a car-free island off the Dalmatian coast

ALAMY

I love Morocco and its energy, so one year we spent New Year’s Eve at Amanjena in Marrakesh. The hotel is built with these grand dusky rose-hued walls but inside there’s a feeling of intimacy that’s really special. I was there recently for a friend’s birthday and it was such a different experience without my family; I flung open the doors of my room and all I could hear was birdsong and trickling water from the fountain.

Alexander and I have been fortunate to travel to many special places around the world, but visiting Rwanda five years ago made a big impact. Encountering gorillas in the rainforest in the wild was a profound experience. We stayed at Bisate, a safari lodge, where the villas look like hobbit houses. You have to be at least 15 to hike to see the silverbacks, so I’m planning to go back with Theo when he’s old enough.