Serena Williams took a cheeky dig at Maria Sharapova while inducting the five-time Grand Slam winner into the tennis Hall of Fame.
Williams and Sharapova shared one of the most intense rivalries in the sport’s history, with the American star boasting an impressive head-to-head record of 20 wins to her Russian rival's two.
The pair raised the profile of women's tennis significantly, and since stepping away from the court, Williams has been vocal about the sport's gender pay gap.
One of Sharapova’s wins came in the final of Wimbledon in 2004 when she was just 17, a defeat Williams has described as one of the hardest of her career.
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“In 2004, when Maria was just 17 years old, she stunned the world and won Wimbledon,” said the 23-time Grand Slam champion during the Hall of Fame induction.
“To this day, she calls it the highlight of her career, and to this day, I call it one of my hardest losses. The match didn’t just make her a champion, it actually made her a star and launched one of the most talked about and controversial rivalries in tennis."
She added: “For more than a decade and a half, every time we faced each other, the atmosphere shifted. It was thick, the tension was real. The fire was real. You could feel it.”
The rivalry was not just known for the quality of tennis displayed on the court.
It was also famous for its unique soundtrack, with both tennis stars grunting loudly during their clashes. Williams did not miss the opportunity to make light of her rival’s noisy playing style.
“And by the way, you could hear it, with all of Maria's grunting,” she said.
Sharapova saw the joke and burst out laughing, but immediately composed herself to seemingly accuse Williams of being the louder grunter from the crowd.
However, Williams was having none of it and swiftly pointed out she was only copying her rival.
"Not mine, yours,” Williams added. “I was just copying you."
Sharapova appreciated her rival’s good humour and thanked Williams for having her back in an Instagram post after the ceremony.
“Thank you for having my back tonight, Serena,” read the caption. “It meant the world to me.”
Williams and Sharapova went head-to-head for the final time during the early stages of the 2019 US Open. The American star came out on top on that occasion, cruising to a 6-1 6-1 win.
Topics: Serena Williams, Tennis
Jonathan Bray