There were audible gasps among those present International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport for the induction of Maria Sharapova as Serena Williams walked out to introduce the former Russian tennis great. 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams and five-time Major champion Sharapova shared a rivalry that had at times turned quite bitter over the course of their prolific careers. However, both players acknowledged at the ceremony that they now share a relationship based on mutual respect and admiration.
Williams acknowledged that she would’ve been the last person those present at the ceremony would’ve expected to see. “Honestly, a few years ago I probably would’ve said the same thing,” she said.
“Let’s be real, Maria and I were once the fiercest of rivals. We had our differences. To the world we looked miles and miles apart but the truth is, we weren’t. We wanted the exact same thing at the exact same time, to be the very best. In our sport only one person walks away with the trophy and what’s really wrong with wanting to be the best? Nothing.
Williams may have dominated the rivalry 20-2 but said that Sharapova was one of few players that truly challenged her. “There are only a few players in my career who challenged me to be the very best, every single time we stepped out on the court,” Williams said. “Maria Sharapova was one of them. Whenever I saw her name next to mine in the draw, I made sure I practiced harder.”
The rivalry had pretty much started with a 17-year-old Sharapova beating Williams in the final of the 2004 Wimbledon, a result that is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in the history of the Grand Slam. Williams was attempting to become the first woman since Steffi Graf more than a decade ago to win the Wimbledon three times in a row.
Watch Serena Williams’ speech here:
“In 2004 when Maria was just 17 years old she stunned the world and won Wimbledon. To this day, she calls it the highlight of her career and to this day, I call it one of my hardest losses,” said Williams.
Sharapova in turn said in her speech that she will be forever grateful to Williams for bringing the best out of her. “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 knew no other way than to fight our hearts out. … 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.”
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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 dominating doubles team Mike and Bob Bryan. The twin brothers finished their speech with one of their trademark chest bumps.
Hall of Famers Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier, Stan Smith and Andy Roddick were among those in the crowd, wearing their blue Hall of Fame blazers. Sharapova and the Bryan brothers also received a cast tennis racket that is the hall’s newest offering to inductees.
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