Maria Sharapova claims in memoir Serena Williams had nasty words against her
Russian tennis pro Maria Sharapova’s memoir “Unstoppable: My Life So Far” gives an inside look on her personal life and career.
Image: Twitter/@mariasharapova
Before the book’s release, the 30-year-old athlete shared excerpts with People magazine. One of the highlights is her relationship with top-ranking player Serena Williams.
She and the American went head to head in 2004 when at 17, Sharapova defeated Williams in Wimbledon.
At the time, Williams was still recovering from a left-knee injury she had endured since 2003.
In her autobiography, the five-time Grand Slam winner shared that both of them “should be friends…but we are not.”
She states that after the finals, Williams hugged her and said “good job.”
However, in the locker room she heard “guttural sobs.”
“I think Serena hated me for being the skinny kid who beat her, against all odds, at Wimbledon,” wrote Sharapova.
“But mostly I think she hated me for hearing her cry. Not long after the tournament, I heard that she told a friend—who then told me—‘I will never lose to that little b…. again.’”
She blames that moment for her dismal record against Williams, which is two wins in their 19 matches.
Sharapova also opens up about testing positive for the banned substance mildronate at the Australian Open in 2016, earning her a suspension. The Russian said she needed it for health reasons and that “in Russia, millions take it, even my grandmother!”
In this March 7, 2016, file photo, tennis star Maria Sharapova speaks about her failed drug test at the Australia Open during a news conference in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Following the controversy, Williams said she “showed a lot of courage” for being honest about the drug test.
In one of the excerpts, she cites that the media called her “a cheater and a liar” and that she was “overjoyed” when her suspension was reduced from two years to 15 months.
She wrote, “Before I was thinking only about how I would make my exit. Now I think only about playing.” Niña V. Guno /ra
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