via Getty
Serena Williams of the United States shakes hands with Maria Sharapova of Russia after defeating her in her Women’s Singles first round match during day one of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
via Getty
Serena Williams of the United States shakes hands with Maria Sharapova of Russia after defeating her in her Women’s Singles first round match during day one of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Rivalries in any sport add to the drama, the theater, and the excitement – whether they’re between two teams or individuals. Just like this, even though Maria Sharapova has retired from professional tennis, fans still love to talk about her rivalry with 23-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams.
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova ruled tennis for almost two decades and even shared some quite bitter moments on the court. Interestingly, today marks the 17th anniversary of an intriguing anecdote in their rivalry.
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Maria Sharapova won her maiden WTA Finals today after defeating Serena Williams in the finals
17 years ago, on this very day, Sharapova defeated Serena in the finals of the WTA Finals 2004 and won the title. She defeated Serena again after already battling past her in the finals of the Wimbledon Championships 2004. Intriguingly, Tennis Channel’s official Twitter handle posted a beautiful picture of both Sharapova and Serena on the occasion.
On November 15, 2004, in her WTA Finals debut, 17-year-old @MariaSharapova triumphed over @serenawilliams to clinch the final title of the year in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.#OnThisDay pic.twitter.com/0kmUDpT9iU
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) November 15, 2021
However, it was also the last time when the 5-time Grand Slam champion emerged as the winner in front of the mighty Williams. Out of their 21 encounters, Sharapova won 2 and Williams won 19. Even though Sharapova got a walkover against Serena at the French Open 2018, she didn’t defeat her on the court there.
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Fans take a dig at Maria Sharapova on Tennis Channel’s Twitter post
It appears that Tennis Channel’s post received comments from many of Serena’s fans. They didn’t quite like what the page posted and commented that even though Sharapova won that match, it was the last time she did so against Serena.
Maria surprisingly retired in March 2020, at the age of 32. Serena, on the other hand, is still going strong in search of her 24th Grand Slam title.
And that was her last win over Serena, and it was all Serena for almost 15years… #Goatrena
— B R I N S H I V A (@Brindha8881) November 15, 2021
And that was her last win over Serena, and it was all Serena for almost 15years… #Goatrena
— B R I N S H I V A (@Brindha8881) November 15, 2021
On this day in 2004, Maria Sharapova got her second and final win against Serena Williams 👏👏👏.
— Jeniffer L. Estrada (@Jeniestra) November 15, 2021
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On November 15, 2004, in her WTA Finals debut, 17-year-old @MariaSharapova triumphed over @serenawilliams to clinch the final title of the year in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.#OnThisDay pic.twitter.com/0kmUDpT9iU
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) November 15, 2021
The rivalry between Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams was certainly one-sided, but such has been the dominance of the American legend that Maria is still regarded as one of her fiercest rivals.
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What did you make of the Maria-Serena rivalry?
Also Read: WATCH – When Serena Williams Called Maria Sharapova B*TCH
