Maria Sharapova has insisted that her longstanding feud with Serena Williams was fueled by a ‘deep respect’ for one another as she lifted the lid on their former rivalry.
The Russian and American tennis stars have one of the most storied rivalries in the sport, having met on 22 occasions throughout their respective careers.
Though Williams held a 20-2 lead in their on-court clashes, Sharapova’s wins proved costly; such as when she defeated her American counterpart in the 2004 Wimbledon final at the age of 17.
At times, they clashed off the court, too. In a 2013 Rolling Stone profile, and without naming Sharapova, Williams branded her rival ‘boring’ and said she was ‘with the guy with a black heart’.
At that time, Sharapova was dating Grigor Dimitrov, who was rumored to be one of Williams’ ex-partners. The 43-year later apologized.
However, all of that appeared to fade from the memory when Williams rocked up to Sharapova’s induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in August 2025.
Maria Sharapova has lifted the lid on her previous rivalry with American star Serena Williams
Williams stunned fans when she introduced Sharapova during the 2025 Induction Celebration weekend at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in August 2025
While many fans were left to speculate over the apparent friendship, Sharapova has now peeled back the curtain on their unlikely relationship.
Speaking at the Time100 Summit in New York City on Wednesday, she explained: ‘I’ve had some of my toughest moments and some of my biggest victories on the court with her.
‘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 revealed that she personally reached out to Williams, joking, ‘Since we retired, we got very close.’
‘And then at the end, I was like, ‘Oh by the way, would you induct me into the Tennis Hall of Fame?” Sharapova recalled.
On the suggestion that they were previously rivals, she added: ‘I wouldn’t call it a rivalry. She kicked my ass many times.’
When Sharapova, who won five Grand Slam singles titles before retiring in 2020, was inducted, she said it ‘meant the world’ to her that Williams showed up.
Williams and Sharapova met in four Grand Slam finals and battled for Olympic gold in London
Sharapova addressed the matter during the 2026 TIME100 Summit in New York on Wednesday
‘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 said in her acceptance speech.
‘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.’
The first Russian woman ever to reach No 1 in the rankings and one of 10 women to complete the career Grand Slam, Sharapova was joined in the Class of 2025 by the dominant doubles team Mike and Bob Bryan.
Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier, Stan Smith and Andy Roddick were among those in the crowd, wearing their blue Hall of Fame blazers.
