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Serena Williams inducts Maria Sharapova into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. <\/p>\nPublished on: Aug 24, 2025 12:48 pm IST <\/p>\n
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were epic rivals during their respective playing careers. They met 22 times between 2004 and 2019. <\/p>\n
Maria Sharapova was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday night, and the introductory speech was given by none other than former rival Serena Williams. The American tennis legend made a surprise appearance and said, \u201cIn 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. Today, I call it one of my hardest losses. The match didn\u2019t just make her a champion. It actually made her a star and launched one of the most talked about and controversial rivalries in tennis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Serena Williams inducts Maria Sharapova into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. <\/p>\n
The pair were epic rivals during their respective playing careers. They met 22 times between 2004 and 2019, with Williams leading 20-2 in their head-to-head, which includes 8-1 at the majors and 3-1 in the major finals.<\/p>\n
The meet-up of Serena and Sharapova also sent social media into a state of meltdown, especially after the American legend roasted the Russian for her \u2018grunting\u2019 while playing tennis.<\/p>\n
One fan wrote, \u201cLol those grunting shows fierceness and determination of each play from the athletes.:<\/p>\n
\u201cListening to Serena Williams induct Maria Sharapova into the international tennis hall of fame is so amazing. What started as a hard fought rivalry has turned into a good friendship with immense respect. I\u2019m so glad I started watching women\u2019s tennis in the 2000\u2019s,\u201d another fan added.<\/p>\n
\u201cSerena Williams and Maria Sharapova\u2014back together again. My heart is so happy\u201d, wrote a fan.<\/p>\n
The pair\u2019s rivalry was a significant part of both players\u2019 careers as the most visible women’s tennis players of the 2000s and 2010s. It was initially very competitive, with the Russian winning two of their first three meetings, which also saw her clinch her first major, at the 2004 Wimbledon C\u2019ships. But from then onwards, Williams dominated the rivalry, winning all 19 of their subsequent meetings.<\/p>\n
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News<\/a> \/ Sports<\/a> \/ US Sports<\/a> \/ Fans go into meltdown as Serena Williams inducts Maria Sharapova into International Tennis Hall of Fame <\/p>\n