“It was amazing to see Serena’s run,” Sharapova, who retired from tennis in 2020, said. “The glory, the gracious tenacity she carried through the end was very special.”
Williams and Sharapova have a record of 2-20 against each other, in favor of Williams.
Sharapova said that she and Williams talked about the latter’s career during last year’s Met Gala. Williams was recovering from injury at the time.
“I was like, ‘No disrespect to this generation, but you are so much better, you need to be out there,’” Sharapova recalled. “I’m glad she had a chance this year.”
The last time that Sharapova and Williams played against each other was back in 2019 at the US Open.
Williams, 40, announced that she was evolving away from the sport and was focusing on growing her family with Alexis Ohanian with whom she has a daughter, Olympia.
Sharapova herself is a mother. She welcomed her first child in July.
“I call him Theo or T-Rex, or — there are so many different little names for him,” she said.
“It is really the best. Everyone tells you, but until you have a child and really experience it, and you’re sleepless — you’re like, OK, I’ve got this.”