Maria Sharapova told Serena Williams she was ”much better” than the current generation of tennis players when the pair met at the 2021 Met Gala.
Tennis fans were taken by surprise when Sharapova posted a picture of herself and the Williams sisters at last year”s event, with the trio shown laughing together.
Eagle-eyed fans then spotted Serena Williams and Sharapova chatting in the background of a photo posted by American rapper Saweetie.
It had long been believed that the Williams sisters and Sharapova did not get on, a result of their bitter rivalry on the court, but the images from the Met Gala put those rumours to bed.
Sharapova has now revealed part of the conversation she had with Serena Williams, claiming she encouraged the 23-time Grand Slam winner to make a comeback.
Speaking on ESPN during the US Open, she said: ”We spoke about it at the Met Gala last year.”
”I said, ”˜no disrespect to this generation, but you are so much better and you need to go out there”, so I”m glad that she had a chance here.”
Serena Williams retirement
Williams lost in the third round at the US Open, falling 7-5 6-7 6-1 to Ajla Tomljanović.
The match is expected to be Williams”s last, with the American star announcing last month that she would be ”evolving away from tennis”.
The 40-year-old returned to tennis at Wimbledon in June after a year out with injury, but failed to make it past the third round of any tournament she played in.
Rivalry rumours
The origins of the rivalry rumours with Sharapova can be traced back to 2004, when the Russian claimed in her autobiography that Williams resented her for ”being the skinny kid who beat her, against all odds, at Wimbledon.”
In the memoir, Sharapova recalls Williams crying after the 2004 final and saying, ”I will never lose to that little bitch again.”
Sharapova did beat Williams one more time, overcoming the American star at the WTA Tour Championships in the same year. But Williams ensured she never lost again, winning the next 20 match-ups between the pair.
The 35-year-old retired from tennis in 2020 with five Grand Slam titles to her name. Her career was somewhat tainted by a failed drugs test in 2016, for which she served a 15 month suspension.
She has been providing commentary for the US Open, which has reached the final stage. Ons Jabeur will take on world number one Iga ÅwiÄ…tek for the Grand Slam title tomorrow.
