Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are one of the best tennis players of their era. However, after their retirement, the tennis giants are largely missed on the tennis court. The American star’s then-coach, Mouratoglou, once made a less-than-flattering remark about the Russian player, though.
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The tennis players have each accomplished incredible things in their own unique ways. The Russian tennis player demonstrated that a doping scandal can never derail a person who follows their heart, while Williams paved the way for black women and dominated the sport as a 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Serena Williams’ former coach, once mocked Maria Sharapova
Patrick Mouratoglou, back when he was Williams’ coach, mocked her arch-rival Maria Sharapova and compared that the 23-time Grand Slam champion has achieved more than her. His statement came out when the Russian star made a comeback after her doping incident in 2017. She played her comeback major tournament, where she was ready to face the American tennis star. However, the former world number one at that time was pregnant with her daughter.
The tennis coach threw a massive whack by saying that Williams’ pregnancy is the best thing that can happen to the Russian player at that time. He said, “When Maria enters a tournament, the best news possible for her is if Serena is not in the draw. She’s a better tennis player. She’s the best of all time. She hasn’t been dominating just Sharapova.”
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And then continued by praising the American tennis player. However, the five-time Grand Slam champion didn’t have a good run at the US Open. And that was year was a memorable year for the American star as she won her 23rd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
Sharapova believes Williams is far better than this generation
During Williams’ most recent US Open match, the Russian player shared a chat she had with her from the prior year. The five-time Grand Slam champion had encouraged the tennis star to return to the sport because she believes the 23-time Grand Slam champion is considerably great to today’s tennis players.
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In addition, she expressed her gratitude for the tennis legend’s opportunity to play before retiring. Both tennis players were well-known opponents to keep an eye on before they retired. However, when the two compete, the American tennis player consistently outperforms the five-time Grand Slam champion.