Maria Sharapova Looks Back on the ‘Awkward’ Speech from Serena Williams to Induct her Into the Hall of Fame

Maria Sharapova got inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Maria Sharapova Looks Back on the ‘Awkward’ Speech from Serena Williams to Induct her Into the Hall of Fame

Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams (Image via X/International Tennis Hall of Fame)

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2025 has brought a lot of headlines into the world of tennis. Although most of the headlines have been about the current players, some former players have also had their fair share of limelight. One of them was five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.

The Russian tennis star was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this year. And most surprisingly, it was Serena Williams who awarded her with the Hall of Fame trophy. Sharapova looked back on the American’s speech, and considered the moment as exciting and thrilling. She said on The David Rubenstein Show:

Awkward wasn’t the right word, David. Um, it was so exciting and it was so thrilling. Well, it would have been, that would have been awkward, ’cause that is a call that I made, and I said, ‘Well, there’s no one else I’d rather be on that stage with than you.’ And she said, ‘I’m honored.’

This friendliness wasn’t something that we saw in the professional tennis careers of Sharapova and Williams. The duo, despite having a lopsided rivalry, were never really seen together having fun in some shape or form. However, the retirement of both players have changed the way both look at each other. She added:

Um, and she was incredible. She was very thoughtful. Her speech was really strong. It was also very personal, and there’s that moment when she walked on stage of, like, 5 to 10 seconds when the crowd, there was, like, a bit of silence and shock, and there’s a wave through the crowd, and I was like, I think we achieved what we wanted to achieve here.

Sharapova retired in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, Williams retired after the 2022 US Open.

What Serena Williams said about Maria Sharapova in the Hall of Fame Speech?

Serena Williams won the hearts of many tennis fans during her speech for Maria Sharapova on the Russian’s induction into the Hall of Fame. The American considered beating Sharapova as one of the biggest motivations of her career. Williams said in the Hall of Fame speech:

There are only a few players in my career who challenged me to be the very best, every single time we stepped out on the court. Maria Sharapova was one of them. Whenever I saw her name next to mine in the draw, I made sure I practiced harder.

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova (via X)

Sharapova, though, found little success against Williams throughout her career. The only memorable win for the Russian actually came at Wimbledon in 2004, when she won her first title at SW19.

Since then, it was one-way traffic across all surfaces. As a result of this lopsidedness, Sharapova reportedly had built a nasty attitude towards Williams. However, things have eased out since both of their retirements.

The duo has won a combined 28 Grand Slam titles and has success across all four Grand Slams. However, Williams comfortably ranks ahead in terms of achievements with 23 of the 28 Grand Slam titles to her name.

Maria Sharapova reveals why she refuses to play tennis after retirement

Former World No.1 Maria Sharapova is one of the most popular tennis players of all time. However, despite her retirement in 2020, the Russian has confessed that she doesn’t play tennis anymore. Sharapova said:

I guess the honest answer is I don’t want to be a sad version of my old self. Like, I knew what I loved about the sport was how quick it was, how reactive it was, how powerful it was. When you don’t play it for a long time, you don’t have that anymore.

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova

This hasn’t been the case with most players who have retired recently. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both retired in 2022 and 2024, respectively. However, both have found time to get their rackets in order for a hit.

Federer was seen hitting at Wimbledon this year. Moreover, Nadal was seen practicing with Alexandra Eala at his academy earlier this week. Serena Williams tends to come to the court alongside her daughter frequently. Outside of that, she regularly attends big tournament matches in Miami and the US Open.

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