“I was just copying you” – Serena Williams teases Maria Sharapova about her loud grunt during surprise appearance at Russian’s HOF induction

Serena Williams made a surprise appearance at Maria Sharapova’s induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, with the 23-time singles Major champion delivering a memorable introduction speech. During the speech, Williams teased her once-fierce rival, bringing up the Russian’s iconic grunt.

On Saturday, August 23, Williams took to the stage at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, and fondly reminisced about Sharapova’s famous win against her in the 2004 Wimbledon final. The victory shot the Russian to global superstardom.

“In 2004, when Maria was just 17 years old, she stunned the world and won Wimbledon. To this day, she calls it the highlight of her career, and to this day, I call it one of my hardest losses. The match didn’t just make her a champion, it actually made her a star,” Williams said.

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Serena Williams went on to talk about the rivalry she shared with Sharapova, before playfully teasing the Russian about her loud grunt.

"It launched one of the most talked about and controversial rivalries in tennis. For more than a decade and a half, every time we faced each other, the atmosphere shifted. It was thick, the tension was real, the fire was real and honestly, you could feel it, and by the way, you could hear it, with all of Maria's grunting," she added.

Sharapova, who was listening attentively to Williams' speech, burst out laughing as she brought up the American's own grunt. Here, Williams said:

"No. Not mine, yours. I was just copying you."

Serena Williams dominated Maria Sharapova in the WTA stars' fierce rivalry

The 2004 Wimbledon final marked the second time Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova locked horns. With the famous win at SW19, the Russian leveled up the pair's head-to-head 1-1.

However, in the 20 meetings between the pair that followed down the years, Williams won 19, while Sharapova registered just one victory. In 2017, the Russian spoke up about her poor head-to-head record against the American, telling CNN:

"Obviously it (2004 Wimbledon final) was a disappointing loss to her because she was expected to win. I’m sure she expected to win that match, another Wimbledon final. So I think that disappointment really, it stirred something up. She didn’t want to lose to me again. Well, I say she’s owned me, which she has."

Maria Sharapova retired from tennis in early 2020, while Serena Williams' career came to an end at the 2022 US Open.

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Sudipto Pati

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

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