The Back Story Behind Serena Williams’ Surprise Newport Appearance

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova during the induction ceremonies at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport on Saturday, August 23. (Photo by Ben Solomon/International Tennis Hall of Fame)

This past weekend, the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport inducted three new members, one of whom — Maria Sharapova — is a close friend and longtime rival of Serena Williams.

In a shocking moment, Williams, a twenty-three-time Grand Slam winner and four-time gold medalist, made an appearance that generated buzz in the unsuspecting crowd. Sharapova’s one-time archrival made sure those in attendance recognized the importance of Sharapova’s greatness. The new inductee is one of just ten women to complete a Career Grand Slam and for eleven straight years, she was the highest-paid female athlete in the world. 

So, how did the Ocean State end up playing host to a moment in the tennis world that would’ve been unthinkable just ten years ago? Well, it starts with Sharapova’s tremendous career, which is full of historic accomplishments as well as one extremely famous feud. 

Sharapova’s induction into the Hall of Fame isn’t a surprise to anyone who’s followed her career. In 2000, she won the Junior Tennis Championships in the girls’ sixteen division at the young age of thirteen. Less than a year later, Sharapova became a pro at fourteen years old, yet it would take three years for Sharapova to break through to the top. During those three years, she continued to set records in the junior circuit due to the professional restrictions she faced at her age. Ultimately, once those restrictions were lifted, Sharapova showed the world she was ready to be the best.  

At the 2004 Wimbledon Championships, Sharapova made multiple comebacks to upset then-two-time defending champion Williams; it was the first major tournament win of Sharapova’s career. Later that year she won the 2004 Women’s Tour Finals, against Williams nonetheless, and for one week in August of 2005 became the first Russian woman to be ranked as the number one singles player in the world. However, those two wins over Williams would mark the start of a rivalry that would haunt the rest of Sharapova’s career. 

As a professional, Sharapova saw many peaks and valleys, with her peaks beginning in 2004 with the Wimbledon win followed by that number one ranking. That would be Sharapova’s lone week as number one in the world. Later, she secured career accomplishments again at the 2006 US Open, the 2008 Australian Open and her completion of the Career Grand Slam at the 2012 French Open. In 2012, Sharapova would also win her first and only Olympic medal, winning silver at the Summer Olympics in London, coming second to none other than Williams.  

That year, Sharapova acted as the Olympic flag bearer for Russia, making her the only woman to ever do so for Russia.  

In 2014, Sharapova won her last Major at the French Open, and those valleys began to become more common. During her career, she had three major shoulder injuries, a long list of thigh and forearm injuries, a suspension in 2016 and an inability to get past Williams. It would be those shoulder injuries that eventually ended her career. 

From 2014 to 2020, Sharapova struggled on and off the court, as she was suspended fifteen weeks in 2016 due to taking a newly banned substance. Over the next four years, she failed to win any major tournaments and notched her final WTA title at the 2017 Tianjin Open. Two years later, she was forced to have another operation on her shoulder due to a frayed tendon and labrum tear, an injury that forced her retirement. 

Outside of Grand Slams and injuries, Sharapova’s career is remembered for her intense, one-sided, career-long battle with Williams. 

In 2004, she got the best of Williams, twice, but she would never beat Williams again, despite nineteen matches between 2005 and 2019. Many tennis analysts agree Sharapova was legendary and more than deserves her induction into the Hall of Fame, but it’s also a factor that many of her Major wins came by avoiding Williams. 

The rivalry between these two spilled off the court, and for years they shared headlines and often found themselves with reporters poking and prodding for anything one might have to say about the other. In their off-court feud, Sharapova found herself ahead of Williams, at least more often than she did on the court. 

Despite the utter dominance on the court, Williams played second fiddle to Sharapova when it came to the earnings. It wasn’t until 2017, when Williams earned nearly $30 million dollars, that she finally surpassed Sharapova for highest-paid female athlete of the year. It’s highly likely Sharapova lost that streak due to her suspension in 2016. 

In 2017, Sharapova published her autobiography, in which she talks about Williams a lot, even mentioning Williams in the “about the author” section. Notably, she dwelled on her win over Williams at the 2004 Wimbledon and how her body looked in comparison to Williams. Less than two months later, Williams published a letter to her mom where she seemed to address some of the unkind things Sharapova had to say about her. 

Over the next year, Sharapova made appearances on shows like “The View” and “Shade 45” where she tried to downplay her comments about Williams. During this time, Williams said that she was disappointed in Sharapova, and it was Sharapova who suggested the two should put their feud aside and be friends. At the time, it was a notion that seemed ridiculous. Their drawn-out rivalry had become somewhat nasty in the media.  

Williams was not exempt from the rivalry, either. In a 2013 Rolling Stone profile, Williams made some comments believed to be about Sharapova. Williams allegedly hinted Sharapova was boring and wouldn’t be invited to cool parties among other comments.

From 2013 to 2018, these two shared a very public disdain for each other that was fueled by passive-aggressive comments and rumors that would sometimes get out of hand. Yet somehow, they’ve been able to overcome it and now, in 2025, share a strong friendship. In fact, Williams described Sharapova as her “forever friend” during the ceremony. 

Williams noted that the two of them are extremely similar and shared kind words about Sharapova. 

“She could’ve been my sister… the yin to my yang. The calm to my storm,” Williams said. “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. Maria Sharapova was one of them.”

The two claim to have started the process of burying their massive hatchet at the 2021 Met Gala. Since then, they appear to have built a strong friendship, and one can expect to see Sharapova back in Newport in the coming years when Williams receives her own inevitable induction. (Williams is eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in August of 2027.)

Sharapova was inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside identical twins Mike and Bob Bryan, among the most accomplished doubles teams of all time. The Bryan brothers hail from California and dominated the youth circuit from 1993 to 1998, eventually turning pro in 1998. By 2003, the twins were the number one doubles team in the world, a spot they would hold for a record-breaking total of 438 weeks. The duo won sixteen Grand Slams, 119 titles, five US Opens and capped it off with a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London.

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