Teary Maria Sharapova inducted into Hall of Fame by Serena Williams
- Christian Montegan
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
An emotional day in Newport, Rhode Island, saw former world No.1 Maria Sharapova inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, accompanied by a surprise appearance by long-time rival Serena Williams.
Sharapova, who won five major titles, was recognised by the sport as a legend of women's tennis.
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Unexpectedly, Williams was present at the prestigious event and had the honour of inducting Sharapova into the Hall of Fame.
"I know I'm probably the last person you would be expecting to see here tonight," Williams said after being welcomed by loud applause. "Honestly, a few years ago, I probably would have said the same thing.
"A few months ago, Maria texted me that she needed to talk... when I called her, she asked if I would introduce her into the Hall of Fame. Before she could even finish her question, I said yes — loud, immediately, with my whole chest. Because, of course, it's Maria."
Despite a lopsided rivalry, which saw Williams lead the head-to-head 20-2, including 8-1 at Grand Slam level, the 2004 Wimbledon final helped a then-17-year-old Sharapova burst onto the scene with her first major title against the American great.
In what was one of her 10 Grand Slam final defeats, Williams admitted on stage that it was "one of my hardest losses".
"Maria and I were once the fiercest of rivals; we had our differences. To the world, we looked miles and miles apart," said Williams. "But the truth is, we weren't. We wanted the exact same thing, at the exact time: to be the very best. That's what made our rivalry so electric, and so iconic."
She added, "There are only a few players in my career who challenged me to be the very best every single time we stepped out on the court.
"Maria Sharapova was one of them. Whenever I saw her name next to mine in the draw, I made sure I practiced harder."
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An emotional Sharapova walked up to embrace Williams with a warm hug, before offering praise to Williams.
"Serena did more than sharpen my game. She helped crystallise my sense of identity," Sharapova said in her acceptance speech.
"It's a gift to have someone who motivates you to reach those heights. And I'll forever be grateful for bringing out the best in me.
"We both knew no other way than to fight our hearts out… We both hated to lose more than anything on this Earth, and we both knew that the other was the biggest obstacle between ourselves and the trophy."
The Russian was joined in the class of 2025 by doubles specialists Bob and Mike Bryan, who together won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles and Olympic gold.
"Doubles was our love from Day 1," Mike Bryan said. "We loved everything about doubles. We loved the strategy, the teamwork, sharing, and the highs and lows. Like our personalities, our games complemented each other perfectly."
The famous twin partnership spent a record 438 weeks atop of the doubles rankings.
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