Wimbledon champion who looked unrecognisable in David Beckham pic reduced to tears on TV

Maria Sharapova was reduced to tears on TV just weeks after posing for a picture with David Beckham at Wimbledon, where fans claimed that the 2004 champion looked unrecognisable. The Russian icon was in the Royal Box for day one of the competition, which eventually saw Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek run out as singles champions.

But before play got underway on Centre Court, Sharapova got together with another piece of British sporting royalty - Beckham. They posted a selfie together on Instagram while at the grounds, captioned: "Let the (Wimbledon) games begin."

Autograph-hunters at SW19 may not have recognised Sharapova immediately. She has ditched her iconic blonde look and now dons darker and shorter hair, which was on display during her recent TV appearance.

Sharapova joined host Sean Evans on Hot Ones, a YouTube and Amazon interview show on which celebrities are asked tough questions while eating an array of spicy chicken wings.

A clip of the 38-year-old went viral on social media as she struggled to eat the progressively hotter wings, needing to dab her eyes with a red handkerchief. At that very moment, she was asked whether she would rather be partnered with a cherry picker or a poacher.

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She replied: "What the f*** is a cherry picker? Can I swear on this show? I'll say cherry picker, it sounds better."

After tasting Da Bomb sauce, often a stopping point for celebs on the show, Sharapova said of the 135,000 Scoville units: "Yeah. The tears are coming. Oh s***, wow. Oh my gosh. In my eye.

"I mean, I hate you, but I'm really loving this. Like, this is as vulnerable as, as it I mean, I usually never have makeup on while I cry, so..."

Sharapova, famously cool and composed on the court in career that saw her win every Grand Slam title, was quizzed over her iconic grunt that has been measured at 101 decibels.

"I want to say it's an intimidation factor, but that'd be a lie," Sharapova explained. "It was something that I started doing at a young age, and it just clicked and I kept it up. I think it just got louder and louder. But it might get louder with these wings!"

She also blasted those who finish as runners-up having to make post-match speeches, with Carlos Alcaraz and Amanda Anisimova forced to speak after their Wimbledon defeats.

"Not enough people talk about that," she added. "It's one of the most challenging moments as an athlete. And as a tennis player, because not many other sports (make) the runner-up stay on court while the trophy, and check, by the way, but who's counting the money? Get presented.

"And you're just left with your tears, and a little hot wing? And it's just not pleasant."