It was the 2015 Australian Open. Serena Williams was up against Maria Sharapova in the summit clash. The Russian star had never won against Williams in her two attempts at the Grand Slam Down Under before that.
While Sharapova was eager to settle the score against Williams, it wasn’t meant to be as the American star dominated the encounter and defeated Sharapova in straight sets, winning her sixth Australian Open title.
Despite the dejection of defeats, Sharapova made a promising statement on her battles against Williams at the Australian Open.
In the 22 matches played between Sharapova and Williams, the former has won just a couple of encounters.
Those wins came at the early stages of their rivalry and the American star has dominated since. Nonetheless, Sharapova loved playing against her biggest rival.
During an interview after her 2015 Australian Open defeat, Sharapova revealed, “I haven’t beaten her in a really long time, but I love every time I step on the court to play against her because she’s been the best, and as a tennis player you want to play the best.”
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However, Sharapova had an interesting description of Williams’ personality on the court. She once termed the American star ‘intimidating’ due to her dominance on the court.
The Russian went on to say, “First of all her physical presence is much stronger and bigger than you realize watching TV.
She has thick arms and thick legs and is so intimidating and strong. It’s the whole thing—her presence, her confidence, her personality… Even now, she can make me feel like a little girl.”
Back in their playing days, it was rumored that the two didn’t get along well due to their strong rivalry. However, Williams put those rumors to rest with an assuring statement.
Serena Williams once rubbished the rumors about beef with Maria Sharapova
In the tennis world, we have seen it all. From rivals like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal being good friends to John McEnroe’s rivalry with Bjorn Borg turning up the heat, rivalries have defined the sport of tennis.
Similarly, Williams and Sharapova had one of the most intriguing battles between them which fans looked forward to. However, years later, the American legend dismissed rumors about any beef between the two.
She stated, “Not anymore. I mean, was there ever beef? I guess. It was just competitive though. She was winning, I was winning, you know? We both wanted to win, and I don’t think it was personal. It was just, ‘Do you want to win?’”
On the other hand, Sharapova also raised the possibility of being friends with Williams at some point, saying, “Serena and I should be friends: we love the same thing, we have the same passion.
But we are not friends—not at all. I think, to some extent, we have driven each other. Maybe that’s better than being friends. Maybe that’s what it takes to fire up the proper fury … Someday when all this is in our past, maybe we’ll become friends. Or not.”
With both Williams and Sharapova enjoying their post-retirement life, fans surely miss the battles between the two. What’s your favorite memory from the Williams-Sharapova rivalry? Let us know in the comments below.
