Maria Sharapova has revealed that she is rooting for Ons Jabeur to win her first Grand Slam title, saying that it would be well-deserved.

Sharapova had a hugely successful career in the sport, one aspect of which was her five major titles. The former World No. 1 lifted her first Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon in 2004 when she was just 17 years old. She is also only one of ten women to have completed the esteemed Career Grand Slam.

The 36-year-old, who retired in 2020, featured in a recent interview on the Rennae Stubbs Podcast, where she expressed her hope that World No. 7 Jabeur would emerge victorious at a major in the near future.

The Tunisian player has won four WTA titles on the Tour and has featured in three major finals, becoming the first Arab woman to do so. However, Jabeur is yet to clinch the victory at a Slam.

The now 29-year-old made her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon 2022, where she faced Elena Rybakina. While Jabeur won the first set 6-3, her opponent fought back to win the match and the title 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.

She then took on Iga Swiatek in her second consecutive final at the 2022 US Open but lost to the World No. 1 in straight sets. Most recently, Jabeur made it to the final of Wimbledon for the second year in a row, only to be defeated by Marketa Vondrousova, who became the first unseeded woman to win the grasscourt major in the Open Era.

Sharapova was chatting with Andrea Petkovic on the podcast, with the conversation turning to famous rivalries in the women's game of the past and present.

"The rivalries, you either have one dominant player or everyone has a shot and I think in your time what made it interesting were the rivalries because you picked teams and you hope somebody wins, somebody loses now we are getting there with the Ons Jabeur, the Sabalenka, Rybakina..," Petkovic said.

In response, Sharapova revealed that she was rooting for Jabeur to win her maiden Grand Slam title.

"I'm rooting for Ons to win her first grandslam, she deserves that so much," she said.