Maria Sharapova opens up on Serena Williams – Sports News
Maria Sharapova has asserted that her storied rivalry with tennis legend Serena Williams was fueled by “deep respect” after the pair set apart their variations for the Russian’s induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame final yr. Sharapova, 39, a five-time singles Grand Slam winner, loved a heated rivalry with Williams, a 23-time singles Grand Slam winner, between 2004 and 2019 earlier than the Russian walked away from tennis aged 32.
The pair clashed 22 occasions on the court docket, with Williams successful a whopping 20 of these matchups — but additionally off the court docket. In a 2013 Rolling Stone function, Williams took a pointed swipe at a fellow participant—with out explicitly naming Sharapova—describing her as “boring” and including that she was “with the guy with a black heart.”
Williams stunned fans when she introduced Sharapova during the 2025 Induction Celebration weekend and appeared to put to rest any suggestion of a deep frost ravaging their relationship.
Speaking at the Time100 Summit in New York City on Wednesday, Sharapova addressed her relationship with Williams in a revisit to their iconic rivalry.
“At the end of the day, we have so much deep respect for each other. There was no one that I wanted to see other than her on stage, and I had to make that phone call,” Sharapova mentioned.
The Russian then revealed that she personally reached out to Williams. “Since we retired, we got very close,” Sharapova added.
“And then at the end, I was like, ‘Oh by the way, would you induct me into the Tennis Hall of Fame?’” Sharapova continued. Sharapova was visibly happy and emotional to see Williams settle for her proposal and induction speech.
Hall of Fame shock
It was a transfer not many have been anticipating. “It’s a gift to have someone who motivates you to reach those heights. And I’ll forever be grateful for bringing out the best in me,” Sharapova mentioned in her acceptance speech about Williams.
“We both hated to lose more than anything on this earth, and we both knew that the other was the biggest obstacle between ourselves and the trophy.”
While many contemplate their matches half of a long rivalry, Sharapova doesn’t see it that manner. Williams’ dominance of their head-to-heads brings her to that conclusion. “I wouldn’t call it a rivalry. She kicked my ass many times,” Sharapova mentioned.
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