Sharapova and Jabeur meet at Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix

One superstar of women’s tennis met another on Sunday when former Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova bumped into Ons Jabeur, the current world No 6, at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Sharapova explained that she was there to cheer on Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, saying: “I’ve known Lewis for many years. I’ll always support him.”

And she met up with Jabeur – a player she has been backing recently.

Indeed, she said on Rennae Stubbs’ podcast earlier in the year: “I’m rooting for Ons to win her first Grand Slam. She deserves that so much.”

Holger Rune was also at the race, and tweeted about his own more limited driving ambitions afterwards, saying: “Now I am inspired to finish my drivers’ licence.”

Other tennis/F1 meet-ups in recent times include Sloane Stephens in Las Vegas last week, Mercedes’ George Russell meeting Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri meeting Andy Murray in London earlier this year.

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