“Serena Williams just blew her away” Maria Sharapova’s former coach discusses the impact of rivalry on the Russian

5-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams shared one of the fiercest rivalries on the WTA Tour in the 21st century. While both the players racked up the big Grand Slam titles while spending a good time at the top of the rankings, the two always remained at loggerheads throughout their careers before Maria retired from the sport in 2020.

Sharapova’s win over Serena in the 2004 Wimbledon Championships remains one of the biggest upsets in the sport and it was the match that shaped the rivalry between Serena and Maria. The two players met a total of 22 times with Serena having a 20-2 lead over the Russian. After the first three meetings, Maria led 2-1 in the head-to-head before Serena won 19 straight matches to take the unassailable lead and hold the bragging rights against Maria.

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“She probably had the most respect for Serena”: Maria Sharapova’s former coach

While the fans remain aware of the bitterness and rivalry between Maria and Serena, Michael Joyce, former coach of Maria who led the Russian to her first two Grand Slam wins and becoming the World No. 1 during his stint as her coach of 8 years, recently gave further insight into the rivalry of the two women that he had watched closely giving better details about Maria’s behaviour towards Serena.

“I think ultimately, Maria probably had the most respect for Serena over any player. I’m just saying this based on what I think. She never said it, but I just feel like Maria always felt that no matter who she was playing, she always had a shot. Sloane Stephens might be beating her, but Maria always felt like if she hung in there and if she was tough, she could turn it around.

“But there was a point with Serena where it was just like Serena’s bringing her A game. I think Maria was pretty predictable in some ways about how she was playing and Serena went through that period for three to four years where she just blew her away,” said Joyce in a recent interview as per Tennisuptodate.

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