Maria Sharapova, who beat Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2004, writes about their bitter rivalry in new book “Unstoppable: My Life So Far” — and admits she doesn’t like the tennis great, but respects her.
“I respect Serena. I mean how can I say that I like someone that’s beaten me 19 times? That’d be silly,” Sharapova told Katie Couric at the 92nd Street Y, after making a comeback appearance at the US Open following a doping ban.
She added, “To me, respect is a very important word . . . That’s why I use the word respect when I talk about Serena. Because I know how much it takes, and I know how much she had to work in her upbringing without coming from any money, with having a tough childhood and making it. Going against diversity and being in a position where she is now, it would be very wrong for me to sit here and say I have no respect for her.”
Williams, meanwhile, just gave birth to her daughter with fiancé Alexis Ohanian, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.
Former US Open champ Sharapova entered 2017’s tournament as a wild card and made it to the fourth round.