Serena Williams Turns Heads With Venus-Inspired Remark on Maria Sharapova at Hall of Fame Ceremony

In what is probably already one of the top ten moments in tennis history, Serena Williams has just presented her long time rival Maria Sharapova with the honour of being inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025. In fact, Sharapova had personally asked Williams if she would do the honours when she had found out earlier in the year about the induction. It is a huge turning point for women’s tennis, when the two ‘rivals’ who the world had pitted against each other, are finally taking control of the narrative, and how!

Williams’ speech was emotional from the get-go. In fact, from the very moment she stepped up onto the podium, years of one of the most talked about rivalries in women’s tennis were thrown back into the spotlight, with Williams’ saying straight off the bat, “All right, surprise, I know I’m probably the last person you would be expecting to see here tonight.” However, from there, she only built on the transformation of this relationship and how much respect the two have for each other today, she even went so far as to compare Sharapova to her own sister, Venus Williams.

“And today, her biggest joy isn’t only a trophy it’s her son Theodore, she’s taken that same focus and that same fire and turned it into being a mum. She actually reminds me a lot of Venus and the more I get to know her the more I think about the things we share and what we can share in the future.” Williams said to an emotional Sharapova and crowd, “Maria is honest, she gets to the point quickly, she’s earnest, she’s loyal, she’s family oriented and at the core, she’s just a great person. If I didn’t know her better I’d think she could have been my sister. The yin to my yang, the calm to my storm, so don’t be surprised when I’m calling her with all the dramas in my life, because that’s what sisters do.” Williams concluded with the perfect turn of phrase to sum up the respect and ultimate love these two stars who have been touted as rivals for two decades now have for each other!

How things have changes: the evolution of Serena Williams’ and Maria Sharapova’s rivalry

To think that just last year’s ESPY awards Serena Williams poked fun at her longtime rival Maria Sharapova with a cover of Jamie Fox’s song for Williams many years ago. “She could be my tennis ball” Williams started to sing, a reference that she didn’t fail to mention in her induction speech for Sharapova.

However, though the ESPY incident might have seemed cheeky on the surface, the truth of the matter was, Williams did end up calling out the general public then as well, “People said we had a feud, which was presumptuous and kind of rude.” Williams sang. However, Williams didn’t fail to include, “Besides that I beat her twenty times.” Which is the fact of the matter over their 15 year rivalry.

The fact that Williams and Sharapova have come out of that time in their lives not just with respect for one another, but with a deep bond, akin to sisters, is astounding, and really makes clear where the priorities of these players and human beings lie!