But her pose on Monday brought the memories flooding back.
A rear moment of pleasure, you might say.
Scroll down to see video . . . .
Scroll down to see video . . . .
Sharapova is the woman to beat this Wimbledon, the 2004 champion installed as the No 1 seed here for the first time.
And the Russian should be a source of inspiration to a certain Venus Williams, having battled back from the depths of her own personal despair to reclaim her place at the top of the game.
Sharapova's rise to the summit of the rankings came after her French Open triumph last month, a victory which saw her complete a career grand slam of singles titles.
A clean bill of health, an improved serve and a seismic improvement in her movement along the baseline were the keys to her Roland Garros success. She looked fluid enough on Centre Court as she dispatched Australian Anastasia Rodionova.
So all looks well for the 25-year-old, 6ft 2in pin-up, who lapped up the rapturous reception she received before setting up a second-round tie with 2010 semi-finalist Tsvetana Pironkova.
But things haven't always been as rosy, as Sharapova recalled when asked about her recovery from the long-term shoulder injury which had threatened her existence at the top of the game.
'My comeback wasn't the easiest - it wasn't a Cinderella story, that's for sure,' she said. 'It took a lot of tough days and losses to get to that moment. But you realise when you actually do get there that it's worth it.
'During the time I was away, I really wanted to be out there so much, but really couldn't because of the pain I was in.
'Sometimes you have goals for yourself and people say you can't achieve that. When I first came back and suffered some losses, I knew I was capable of so much more.
'But I put a lot of work in, and knew I had it in me. I was never going to lose that belief.'
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