The on-court rivalry between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova was second to none. The stats heavily favor the American as Sharapova has only managed to win thrice against the 23-time Grand Slam winner. However, when it comes to off-court fights, neither of the two have ever held back.
Before the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, Serena Williams didn’t hesitate in to take at the five-time Grand Slam winner. Williams pointed out Sharapova following her relationship with Grigor Dimitrov, who reportedly dated Williams in 2012 too.
One for the ages…🤯😲
Serena Williams will face Maria Sharapova in R1 for their first ever meeting in Flushing Meadows!#USOpen pic.twitter.com/T4kSoUdniZ
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 22, 2019
Thus, replying to the comments just days before the grass-court major, Sharapova said that she respects Williams tremendously. However, if the American wanted to talk about something personal, she should talk about her relationship, boyfriend, and his divorce.
“Obviously I have a tremendous amount of respect for Serena and what she’s achieved on the court. If she wants to talk about something personal, maybe she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids.”
Sharapova took a shot on the rumors of Williams dating her coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who also got divorced from his ex-wife Clarisse Mouratoglou in 2013. “Talk about other things, but not draw attention to other things. She has so much in her life, many positives, and I think that’s what it should be about,” Sharapova said.
What did Serena Williams say to upset Maria Sharapova?
Serena Williams was rumored to have been dating Bulgarian tennis player, Grigor Dimitrov in 2012 although they never spoke about their relationship in public. Afterward, at the 2013 Madrid Open, Dimitrov and Maria Sharapova made their relationship public. It was revealed by the Russian tennis player that Dimitrov contacted her via her agent for the first time.
Hence, pointing out Sharapova, Williams said that there are a few individuals who only have tennis in their lives, and they should give the game a little rest. Moreover, commenting on her dating life, she also called the Bulgarian “a guy with a black heart”.
“There are people who live, breathe and dress tennis. I mean, seriously, give it a rest. She begins every interview with ‘I’m so happy. I’m so lucky’ – it’s so boring. She’s still not going to be invited to the cool parties. And, hey, if she wants to be with the guy with a black heart, go for it.”
However, Serena Williams didn’t take the name Maria Sharapova even once, but by making a calculative guess, we can understand what she was talking about. Consequently, things got crystal clear when the Russian called out her on-court competitor publicly in a press conference.
