One of Serena Williams' old rivals believes the American still holds a grudge over their Wimbledon meeting.
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Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova had one of tennis’ biggest rivalries in the 2000s.
Although Williams enjoyed a dominant 20-2 record against the Russian star, Sharapova earned a significant victory against the tennis icon at Wimbledon.
Aged just 17, Sharapova stunned Williams to win her first Grand Slam title in 2004 and later caught her crying. Sharapova still believes her rival never forgave her for that match.
Serena and Venus Williams dominated Wimbledon in the early 2000s. By the time Sharapova won her first major, the sisters already had two trophies each at the All England Club.
Sharapova pulled off a massive upset in 2004, becoming the first player outside of the Williams sisters to clinch the title at Wimbledon this century.
The Russian was still a teenager when she shocked Williams in the championship match. Seeded 13th, Sharapova had already upset Lindsay Davenport by the time she got to the final.
And she breezed past the younger Williams sister, winning 6-1 6-4 to claim her first of five Grand Slam titles. To this day, Sharapova believes the 23-time Major champion holds a grudge for that match.
In her 2017 autobiography, Sharapova claimed she caught Williams crying in the locker room after the match.
“I went to the locker room alone. Serena had left the court as soon as she could without making a scene,” she wrote.
“I did not notice it and wouldn’t have thought about it if not for what was going on when I got to my stall.
“Having your own private stall means that, even though you cannot see your opponent, you can hear her. And what I heard, when I came in and started to change clothes was Serena Williams crying. I got out as quickly as I could, but she knew I was there.”
Sharapova defeated Williams in their next meeting at the WTA Finals later in 2004. But she never beat her again - and the Russian believes it’s because her rival “hated” her after their Wimbledon encounter.
The former No. 1 wrote: “People often wonder why I have had so much trouble beating Serena; she’s owned me in the past ten years. My record against her is 2 and 19.
“In analysing this, people talk about her strength, her serve and confidence, how her particular game matches up to mine and sure there is truth to all of that.
"To me, the real answer was there, in this locker room. where I was changing and she was sobbing. I think Serena hated me for being the skinny kid who beat her, against all the odds, at Wimbledon.
“I think she hated me for taking something that she believes belongs to her. I think she hated me for seeing her at her lowest moment. But mostly I think she hated me for hearing her cry. She’s never forgiven me for it.”
Williams got one more win over Sharapova before they both retired, taking her lifetime record to 20-2 against the 37-year-old. The pair now have a good relationship and have reunited at events like the Met Gala in recent years.
