Serena Williams made a surprise appearance on Saturday to honour her 'former rival' Maria Sharapova, inducting her into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. The 43-year-old tennis legend took the stage to celebrate the career of Sharapova, 38, with whom she shared a fierce two-decade rivalry that began in 2004 when a 17-year-old Sharapova stunned Williams to win the Wimbledon title.
Williams, who holds 23 Grand Slam titles to Sharapova's five, dominated their head-to-head matches with 20 victories to Sharapova's two. Despite the on-court tension, the pair have since developed a friendship, with Sharapova asking Williams to induct her into the Hall of Fame. In an Instagram post, Williams reflected on the full-circle moment: 'Maria's career, as her dad put it yesterday, started with me and last night, ended with me inducting her into the tennis hall of fame.'
During her induction speech, Williams acknowledged their past rivalry, saying: '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.' She also joked about Sharapova's grunting, to which Sharapova playfully retorted: 'Yours too!'
Williams concluded: 'This is women supporting each other and respecting each other's greatness. It is my honour – as her former rival, her forever fan and now, her forever friend – to welcome Maria Sharapova into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.' Sharapova later expressed her gratitude on Instagram, writing: 'Thank you for having my back tonight, @serenawilliams. It meant the world to me.'
