The season finale of the Formula One season was popular for famous faces, including Hologic WTA Tour stars Ons Jabeur and Maria Sharapova.
The World No.6 and the retired former World No.1 joined other luminaries including actors Orlando Bloom, Chris Hemsworth and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, retired Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo, and supermodel Naomi Campbell in watching the action from the Yas Marina Circuit.
Jabeur and Sharapova exchanged hugs and small talk, taking photos together with Jabeur’s husband, Karim Kamoun, before watching Dutch star Max Verstappen cross the finish line first, ahead of racers including Great Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, who Sharapova and Campbell embraced before the race for luck.
But Hamilton isn’t the only athlete for whom Sharapova has an affinity: Earlier this year, she had kind words for three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur, saying that she was “rooting for” the Tunisian to win a major title.
“I’m rooting for Ons to win her first Grand Slam,” the five-time major winner told Andrea Petkovic on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast in September. “She deserves that so much.”
At the race, Jabeur also met with Ronaldo, and excitedly posted photos with him on her Instagram story.
F1: Where legends collide 🥹@MariaSharapova x @Ons_Jabeur
🎥: IG/onsjabeur pic.twitter.com/gCTruSC98z
— TENNIS (@Tennis) November 27, 2023
But Sharapova and Jabeur weren’t the only tennis players in the house. ATP stars Hubert Hurkacz and Holger Rune were also trackside, as were tennis power couple Mirjam Bjorklund and Denis Shapovalov.
F1 races have, in fact, been a popular outing for tennis players this year, as Serena and Venus Williams were among the star-studded spectator roster at the Miami Grand Prix in May, while Sloane Stephens met with Rihanna and A$AP Rocky at the Las Vegas Grand Prix earlier this month.
