Maria Sharapova goes beyond the tennis dress

Tomorrow, the first day of the US Open women's singles draw, two days after her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and five years after she officially left the game, Maria Sharapova will once again stand center court in Flushing Meadow, Queens, to receive an official US Open ring.

- VANESSA FRIEDMAN

As usual, she will be wearing a tennis dress designed to make history.

Specifically, a new version of the tennis dress she wore when she won the US Open in 2006.

That one, inspired by Audrey Hepburn's little black Givenchy dress in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and bedecked with Swarovski crystals at the neckline, was the first "evening" dress worn by a female competitor. It was also the first time a player had worn a different look for a night game than a day game, and overnight it made Sharapova one of the first tennis dress influencers.

"It's a version of the dress for someone that's grown up," said Sharapova, 38, a few days before the ceremony. And it is a sign that she is getting ready to compete again — though this time in a new arena.

Sharapova's legacy as a player is complicated. She was never a beloved tennis figure. Often referred to as the "ice queen" during her time on the women's tour, when she won five Grand Slam tournaments, she famously saw her peers not as comrades in arms but obstacles to be eliminated. Injuries and a 15-month doping ban further complicated her story, and she retired in 2020.

But she was also among the first athletes to think of themselves as a brand, a strategic approach that made her the highest-paid female athlete in any sport for 11 consecutive years, from 2005 to 2015 — this despite being ranked No. 1 for only 21 nonconsecutive weeks.