Serena Williams Makes Surprise Appearance to Welcome Ex-Rival Maria Sharapova Into Tennis Hall of Fame: ‘Forever Friend’

NEED TO KNOW

• Maria Sharapova was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame following a surprise intro from Serena Williams
• During her heartfelt speech, Williams described herself as Sharapova’s “former rival, former fan and now forever friend”
• Williams said that the duo “really respected each other immensely” on the court during their decade-plus rivalry

Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, once the "fiercest of rivals," celebrated their friendship over the weekend as Sharapova earned her place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

On Saturday, Aug. 23, Williams introduced her “forever friend” at the Newport, R.I., ceremony as part of the hall of fame’s 2025 class, noting that she was “probably the last person you were expecting to see here tonight” after Sharapova, 38, asked her to say a few words.

“To the world, we looked miles and miles apart. The truth is, we weren't,” Williams, 43, said. “We wanted the exact same thing at the exact same time: to be the very best. In our sport, only one person can really walk away with the trophy. And what's really wrong with wanting to be your best? Nothing. In fact, it's what drove us.”

Sharapova, a five-time major singles champion who ended her career with a 645-171 record, was inducted five years after her retirement in 2020.

As part of the festivities, Williams offered a heartfelt introductory speech, during which she reflected on their "electric and iconic" rivalry that she said kicked off with Sharapova's 2004 Wimbledon victory. The tension between the two in the years to follow was "real," Williams admitted, although they "really respected each other immensely.”

"There are only a few players in my career who challenged me to be my very best every time we stepped out onto the court," she said. "Maria Sharapova was one of them."

Midway through her speech, Williams laughed that she had a "heckler" in the audience while pointing to her former rival, before commending Sharapova on her "never-surrender" attitude and being "fierce" and "uncompromising" on the court.

Williams also made sure to address what she called the "elephant in the room" and explained how the two got to the current point in their friendship, revealing that the pair "started to see each other differently" while attending events like the Met Gala. One day, she explained, it "just clicked" that they liked each other.

"If I didn't know her better, I think she could've 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 said. "So what started as a rivalry turned into an enormous amount of respect. And what grew from respect has turned to friendship."

"Tonight it's my honor as her former rival, former fan and now forever friend ... to welcome Maria Sharapova into the International Tennis Hall of Fame."

The duo then shared a hug, before Sharapova joked that Williams "forgot to give me the trophy." She called herself a "mess internally" over the introduction, for which Williams interviewed her for an hour to prepare.

"Serena, I thought that today you'd let me win just this once, but you may have won the speech competition," she said, adding that she and Williams shared "qualities" and that Williams brought out her "best."

Per USA Today, the women played 22 matches against each other since 2004, with their last being in 2019. Sharapova won twice against Williams during her career, in both the 2004 Wimbledon finals and at the WTA Championships final in 2004.

The Russian tennis star's storied career highlights also include her silver medal at the 2012 Olympics, her 36 singles career titles and additional Grand Slam victories at the U.S. Open in 2006, the Australian Open in 2008 and two titles at Roland-Garros in 2012 and 2014, per her hall of fame page. She was inducted this weekend alongside brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.

Following her retirement in 2020, Sharapova became a mother, welcoming son Theodore in 2022 with fiancé Alexander Gilkes.

"When voices inevitably tell you to ease up, round your edges, dull your ambition, I hope you can find a way to ignore them," Sharapova said at the end of her speech. "Compete fiercely, raise your standard, set goals that intimidate you and don't forget to celebrate your victories. No matter how small. When you're facing setbacks, ask a lot of questions and look inside for those answers. And yes, pump that fist — whatever your personal version is — as a reminder of how unstoppable you are."

"I said it once and it rings even truer now: In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life. What a remarkable, remarkable life. And I'm so deeply grateful for it,” she added.

Read the original article on People