Serena Wiliams and Maria Sharapova have been long-time rivals on the court, facing each other 22 times. Their fierce rivalry has sometimes even made the fans think that they hated each other. On the other hand, it was no secret that Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki have an amicable relationship and both of them have been each other’s good friends for quite some time.
So, it was a bit surprising when the American tennis great declared that Sharapova was the one who is her best friend.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Serena revealed that her current best friend Sharapova is the first person whom the tennis legend calls to discuss all her day-to-day affairs. Being a mother has brought these two closer to each other than ever before.
The former Russian tennis player has also praised Serena and her sister Venus for their remarkable fight against the gender-based pay gap. Being in the tennis world, she herself has experienced this discrimination from the sidelines. They had neither equal pay nor equal rights for being a woman in sports. Maria admired Venus Williams’ dauntless fight for equal prize money in every single one of her press conference.
Sharapova also commented on the legend’s retirement at the US Open 2022, saying that the moment was well-deserved for her. For the Siberian Siren, seeing the Serena shine and perform was the best gift for her, as the tennis great wanted to come out much stronger than how she played at Wimbledon. To see the King of WTA elevate her game with grit and grace was extraordinarily spectacular for the Russian. This just goes on to show how much Sharapova respected Serena and wished for her success.
