Published 02/13/2023, 6:10 AM CST
If we talk about the top female tennis players in the last two decades, we can not skip two very important names. They are American tennis legend, Serena Williams and her Russian archrival, Maria Sharapova. While the two have a huge fan following, the crown jewels of women’s tennis never saw eye-t0-eye, especially during their heyday on the WTA Tour. It is evident from the statements they gave about each other. Back in 2017, Sharapova moved one step forward and complained about Serena’s in-match attitude, which, according to her, was not good. Here’s what happened.
When Maria Sharapova targeted Serena Williams’ on-court attitude
Maria Sharapova opened up about her tennis journey via her book ‘Unstoppable’ in 2017. It also has a detailed mention of her rival and probably the greatest player of her generation, Serena Williams. If we look at the records, Sharapova literally never got going against her American rival after winning in her first two encounters.
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While one may think that there’s a clear gap in their abilities, Sharapova gave various reasons why it was difficult for her to win against Serena. One of them was Serena’s attitude in matches. Here’s what she wrote about it in her book:
“It’s also her attitude that defeats you. She looks across the net with something like disdain, as if you are unimportant and small. It’s a game face, of course, but it works. I’d met my match in intimidation. Then there is her temper, which can be hot and unpredictable.”
She further added, “She is not afraid to scream, throw her racket, b*tch at the refs about calls she doesn’t like. It’s interesting at first, then it gets irritating. Irritating in a way that might be intended—it lets her blow off steam and fills most opponents with rage.”
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The 23-time Grand Slam champion has had instances where she did argue with the umpires. In fact, it acted as a distraction for herself on several occasions.
When leaked locker room talk fuelled the rift between Sharapova and Serena
The Williams sisters were once discussing Maria Sharapova’s personal life inside their locker room. It was a chat related to Sharapova’s dating and other personal stuff. It was a private chat that, unfortunately, reached the ears of the tennis world when a reporter leaked it.
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When Sharapova got to know about it, she hit back at Serena and asked her to focus on her own life and dating. Serena later apologized to Sharapova for her comments. After over a decade of heated rivalry and feud, the two former tennis stars have left it in the past and are trying to be good friends.