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Maria Sharapova shares her reaction to Serena Williams inducting her into the Tennis Hall of Fame

Originally posted on HITC | By Cameron Greenlees | Last updated Nov 21, 2025 7:16 AM ET

In August, five years after calling time on her playing days, Maria Sharapova was officially inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Sharapova’s career included a Career Grand Slam and 36 singles titles. She finished with a record of 645 wins to 171 losses.

She pulled off one of the sport’s biggest upsets as a teenager at Wimbledon in 2004, beating Serena Williams in straight sets to claim her first major title.

This match kicked off one of tennis’ most high-profile rivalries. Even though Sharapova only won two of their next 22 meetings, every encounter drew global attention.

Their competitive history is well documented, but they’ve also shown respect for each other over the years. Back in January 2020, Williams even suggested that media coverage often exaggerated any tension between them.

Maria Sharapova reflects on Serena Williams’ role in her Hall of Fame induction

During an appearance on The David Rubenstein Show, Sharapova was asked if it felt ‘awkward’ having Williams induct her. She replied: “Awkward wasn’t the right word. It was so exciting, and it was so thrilling.”

Rubenstein then asked: “Were you surprised that she agreed to do it?”

Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images for International Tennis Hall of Fame

Sharapova explained: “Well, that would have been awkward because that is a call that I made.

“I said: ‘There’s no one else I’d rather be on that stage than you,’ and she said, ‘I’m honoured.’ But it could have gone the other way.

“It didn’t, thankfully. And she was incredible. She was very thoughtful. Her speech was really strong, but it was also very personal.

“There’s that moment when she walked on stage, of like five to ten seconds when there was a bit of silence and shock in the crowd, and I was like, I think we achieved what we wanted to achieve here.”

Maria Sharapova’s record against Serena Williams

Their head-to-head was heavily one-sided, with Williams holding a commanding 20-2 lead over Sharapova.

They first played each other at the 2004 Miami Open, where Williams, the top seed, won 6-4, 6-3 in the round of 16.

Sharapova won their next two meetings that year – first in the Wimbledon final and later at the WTA Finals. But from there, Williams took complete control of the rivalry.

Williams went on to win their next 19 matches straight, a run that included four Grand Slam finals and an Olympic gold medal match. Their last meeting was at the 2019 US Open, where Williams cruised to a straightforward win.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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