WATCH: Serena Williams, laughing uncontrollably, dedicates a song to longtime rival Maria Sharapova during her performance at ESPYS
The Serena Williams-Maria Sharapova rivalry that began in the mid 2000s was one of the fiercest women's rivalries in tennis.
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Serena Williams dedicated a hilarious song to rival Maria Sharapova at the ESPYS (Image via Imago/X)
American tennis legend Serena Williams enjoyed a great rivalry with Maria Sharapova during her playing days. However, as the two star tennis players are now retired, they enjoy their time off the court. Williams took her “love” for Sharapova to the next level as she dedicated a song to the former World No. 1 tennis player while rocking the stage at the ESPYS.
The American tennis legend came with a setup and performed the song “She could be my tennis ball”. Williams was the lead singer with a few artists backing her up in chorus. The 42-year-old also burst into laughter as she announced her performance.
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I dedicate this one to a very special person in my life. This one goes out to Maria Sharapova.Serena Williams said as she announced her special performance at ESPYS
The people in the hall, meanwhile, burst into laughter after watching Williams’ sarcastic tribute to her longtime on-court rival. While it would have been a fierce dig if it had happened during their playing days, Sharapova and Williams now seem to get along well.
Maria Sharapova opened up about sharing a laugh with Serena Williams
While there is no on-court relationship now, the off-court relationship between Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams is getting better and better with every passing day. The two WTA legends now get along really well and as Sharapova has revealed, they share a good laugh as well.
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As the Russian tennis star came back to the All-England Club, this time as a spectator, she talked about her changed relationship with Williams. Sharapova revealed that she talks about the past with Wiliams and they laugh about it.
Now we get to reflect on the past and have a good laugh about it. Also seeing her, she has two kids now, and an incredibly strong business platform. Yeah, we have a lot of fun – we have some good chats on our phones.Maria Sharapova said on Tennis Channel.
Notably, Sharapova returned to the All-England Club twenty years after her famous victory at Wimbledon at age 17. The Russian seemed happy about being back although as a spectator, and also shared her views on the modern-day WTA stars.
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