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Serena Williams (Source: X)
Former Tennis star Serena Williams and great player Maria Sharapova have been known for their on-court and off-court rivalries for so long. Notably, both players have been seen exchanging words in public as well. However, Serena Williams has repeatedly talked about her feud with Maria and denied any personal animosity towards her.
The rivalry between them started when Maria defeated Williams by 6-1, 6-4 during the 2004 Wimbledon Final, which was only the second meeting of their tour. Meanwhile, Sharapova has recently revealed that Wiliams always hated her after she defeated her in 2004 in her autobiography.
"I think Serena hated me for being the skinny kid who beat her, against all odds, at Wimbledon," she wrote.
However, Serena Williams clarified that she does not have any personal animosity towards her but rather fierce competitiveness and a desire to win the matches against Maria on the court.
I was winning, you know, we both wanted to win, and I don't think it was personal: Serena Williams
"Not anymore. I mean, was there ever beef? I guess. It was just competitive. She was winning. I was winning, you know, we both wanted to win, and I don't think it was personal. It was just, 'Do you want to win?'" Serena Williams said while unveiling 'The Serena Collection' of trading cards.
However, former coach Rick Macci also shared his personal opinion regarding their rivalry. Macci highlighted that both star players had a catfight due to their apparent mutual dislike. Meanwhile, both star players seemed to enjoy each other's company during the 2024 Met Gala event.
"Maria Sharapova, you know, talk about her rivalry with Serena, and yeah you're right. A rivalry should be a back-and-forth thing, and I know it was 20-2 with Serena leading the way. I think Maria, when she came to me at 11, her and Yuri, they had their sights on Venus and Serena, and they talked about it, we talked about it a lot, that was always her goal," Rick Macci said.