Sharapova says of Williams "We both hated to lose more than anything on this earth" and both had fathers with extremely lofty expectations.
NEWPORT – Somewhere along the way, through more than a decade of chasing the same goals and dreams, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams found the essence of one another.
They met in a different role on what was a historic Saturday evening at the Newport Casino, two former women’s tennis greats who share a bond few others could comprehend.
One former rival inducted the other into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, with Williams presenting Sharapova with the ultimate career honor in a surprise appearance just steps off Bellevue Avenue on Aug. 23.
“We left everything out on the lines of the court every single match,” Sharapova said. “We both hated to lose more than anything on this earth. We both knew that the other was the biggest obstacle between ourselves and the trophy.
“That’s the root of how we got here.”
Sharapova’s signature victory was an upset of Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final, one that delivered a first Grand Slam title to a precocious 17-year-old. Sharapova ascended to world No. 1 the following year and looked set to be a foil for both Williams and her older sister, Venus, in the coming seasons. Serena Williams responded by winning the last 19 matches she played against Sharapova, including three additional Grand Slam finals and the gold medal meeting at the London Summer Olympics in 2012.
“I focused more,” Williams said. “I showed up with my A game. Whatever her weakness was the match before, you better believe that was her strength next time.
“She was relentless.”
They shared fathers with outsized personalities and expectations. Yuri Sharapov and his daughter moved from Russia to the United States when she was 6, and Sharapova eventually enrolled at the Florida tennis academy run by prominent coach Nick Bollittieri. Richard Williams made regular trips with two of his girls to practice on public courts in their native Compton, a tough neighborhood in the southern part of Los Angeles.
“We both have fathers with incredible – bordering on unreasonable – levels of belief in their young daughters,” Sharapova said. “They both made countless sacrifices to give us the chance at greatness.”
Both eventually found it – Williams was a 23-time Grand Slam champion before her September 2022 retirement. They began to meet regularly in social settings at the close of their careers, with the annual Met Gala in New York and independent relationships with fashion icon Anna Wintour serving as common ground.
“If you’re an athlete, you eventually find the other athletes in the room,” Williams said. “And because you know each other and you’re on the grind year after year, Maria and I found ourselves at the same tables and at the same events talking to each other a little bit more with no grand slam match the next day.
“Our guards were down. Little by little we started to see each other differently. One year it was small talk. The next year it was real conversation. Then one day it just clicked.
“This person I spent years battling with across the net – we actually like each other? And we did.”
Sharapova scheduled a call with Williams to formally ask her to attend under the summer sunshine on the Horseshoe Court here. Williams noted her phone rang at exactly 11 a.m. – not a minute late, not a minute early. It was that sort of discipline and professionalism from Sharapova that she’d admired from afar over the course of their careers, and the answer was a quick yes.
“Serena did more than just sharpen my game,” Sharapova said. “She helped crystallize my identity as a competitor. It’s a gift to find someone who motivates you to reach those heights.”
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Serena Williams inducts Maria Sharapova into Tennis Hall of Fame
Category: General Sports
