"I’m probably the last person you’d expect to see": Serena Williams surprisingly inducts Maria Sharapova into International Tennis Hall of Fame

When Maria Sharapova was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, it was her greatest rival—and now close friend—Serena Williams who delivered the tribute. In a heartfelt and humorous speech, Williams reflected on their iconic rivalry, the respect that grew from it, and Sharapova’s extraordinary career both on and off the court.

Williams was asked to induct her rival but in the end it was a shock to Sharapova that she did as she emerged and produced a heartwarming speech for her fiercest rival and now close friend.

“Surprise!” Williams opened. “I know I’m probably the last person you’d expect to see here tonight. Honestly, a few years ago, I would’ve said the same thing.” She explained how Sharapova had reached out a few months earlier with an unexpected request. “When I called her, she asked if I would introduce her into the Hall of Fame. Before she even finished her question, I said yes—loud, immediately, with my whole chest. Because of course, it’s Maria. I was honoured.”

Williams admitted their history was complicated. “Maria and I were once the fiercest of rivals. We had our differences. To the world, we looked miles apart. But the truth is—we weren’t. We wanted the exact same thing, at the exact same time: to be the very best.”

She pointed to their 2004 Wimbledon final as a defining moment. “At just 17 years old, she stunned the world and won Wimbledon. To this day, she calls it the highlight of her career. And to this day, I call it one of my hardest losses. That match didn’t just make her a champion—it made her a star. It launched one of the most talked about and controversial rivalries in tennis.”

For more than a decade and a half, their encounters became some of the most intense in tennis history. “The tension was real. The fire was real. You could feel it—and by the way, you could hear it, with all of Maria’s grunting. (Not mine—yours. I was just copying you.)”

Behind the intensity, though, was deep admiration. “Even though we didn’t talk about it back then—maybe we couldn’t—we respected each other immensely. To survive at the very top of this sport, you need resilience, toughness, and to show up every single day. Maria did just that.”

Williams described Sharapova as one of the very few players who consistently pushed her to new heights. “Whenever I saw her name in the draw, I practised harder. Whatever her weakness was the match before, you better believe it was her strength the next time. She was relentless about improving.”

She recalled the physical and mental battles they endured. “I’d run her left, right, left, right, and she refused to give in. When the point was over, she looked completely poised, like I was the one doing all the running. Maria had this fierce, never-give-up attitude that always kept you on your toes.”

Her competitive spirit even disrupted Williams’ own match preparation. “I can’t tell you how many times I was in the locker room watching her down a set and a break before I had to play. Instead of warming up, I’d look at my coach and say, we’re in for a long one. Because Maria always came back. Every. Single. Time.”

With a smile, she added: “More than once I wanted to tell her, ‘Maria, just win in straight sets. You’re going to win anyway—why torture us out here?’ But that was Maria. Fierce. Determined. Uncompromising. She made you earn every single point.”

So how did two great rivals become friends? Williams credited Anna Wintour and the Met Gala. “It’s one of the most intimidating rooms you’ll ever be in—the crème de la crème. And if you’re an athlete, you eventually find the other athletes. Maria and I ended up at the same tables, talking more. With no Grand Slam match the next day, our guards were down. One year was small talk, another year real conversation. Then one day it clicked: this person I’d battled for years… might we actually like each other? And we did.”

Williams praised Sharapova’s precision and discipline. “If you have a call with her at 11:00 a.m., she will call you at 11:00 a.m. Not 10:59, not 11:01. Right on time. Always prepared. Always disciplined. That’s Maria.”

She also highlighted her consistency and determination. “On court, she gave absolutely everything, whether playing the world number one or number 300. She didn’t get caught up in gossip or headlines. She was there for one reason: to win.”

That drive propelled Sharapova to world number one in 2005, just a year after her Wimbledon triumph. “Think about that—a teenager, less than 18 months removed from her breakthrough, standing on top of the sport. That takes focus, fearlessness, confidence, and unbelievable discipline.”

Perhaps most impressive was Sharapova’s transformation on clay. “She once said she felt like a cow on ice on clay—and honestly, she wasn’t wrong,” Williams joked. “But here’s the difference: she didn’t accept it as a weakness. Quietly, behind the scenes, she made it her mission. She turned her greatest vulnerability into her greatest weapon. She conquered it not once, but twice—winning two French Open titles. That’s Maria. That’s her legacy: make your weakness your strength.”

Williams listed Sharapova’s remarkable achievements: five Grand Slam titles, the career Grand Slam, 36 WTA titles, an Olympic silver medal, and more than a decade inside the world’s top 10. She also noted that Sharapova was the highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 straight years.

“Beyond the numbers, Maria was one of the most recognised and admired athletes on the planet. She showed us all how to take excellence on the court and turn it into excellence in business, fashion, and branding. She inspired young girls everywhere: if she can do it, I can do it too.”

Today, Williams said, Sharapova’s greatest joy is her son Theodore. “She’s taken that same focus and fire and poured it into being a great mom—steady, calm, thoughtful. The more I know her, the more I realise how much we share. She’s honest, loyal, family-orientated. At her core, she’s just a great person. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she could’ve been my sister—the yin to my yang, the calm to my storm.”

“What started as a rivalry turned into respect,” Williams concluded. “And what grew from respect has turned into friendship. Maria didn’t just win matches—she built a legacy that will last forever.” And with that, Serena Williams delivered her final tribute: “Tonight, it is my honour—as her former rival, her former fan, and now her forever friend—to welcome one of the world’s greatest champions, Maria Sharapova, into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Maria.”