The tennis legend, Serena Williams, was chosen by Russian icon Maria Sharapova to deliver her International Hall of Fame induction speech. The latter has recently revealed that the plan took months, and they were able to keep Williams’ name under wraps by giving her a code name.
Serena Williams is widely recognised as one of the greatest women’s tennis players in the history of the sport. The winner of 73 WTA Tour singles titles shared an intense rivalry for many years with Maria Sharapova, who retired in 2020 with 36 WTA Tour singles titles, out of which five were major titles. Despite the on-court competition between the two icons, they became close friends in recent years.
During her interview on ‘Today Show‘, the Nyagan, Russia, native reflected on her ever-growing friendship with Serena Williams, and how they kept her name concealed under the alias, ‘Madonna’, for months for her induction speech in the International Hall of Fame.
“When the Tennis Hall of Fame asked us, who would you like to introduce you on stage, she was the first person I thought of. Our friendship has blossomed in the last few years. We’ve done a few engagements together. We’ve seen each other at all these events. And we just gossip all the time.”
She continued,
“I can’t believe we were able to keep it a secret, because it’s been a couple of months in the making. And as I said outside, her code name was Madonna. And we were able to do it. You heard that energy of her walking out on stage. And there was a lot of impact. And then see her on stage introduce me was a full circle moment.”
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In their iconic careers, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova met twenty-two times, with the former winning twenty of those clashes according to the WTA’s official site.
Serena Williams on sharing a familial bond with Russian star Maria Sharapova
During her induction speech, Williams revealed her heartfelt and warm thoughts on seeing Maria Sharapova as a sister. She further highlighted that her friendship has grown into a familial connection with the entrepreneur, who has found notable success with her confectionery brand, Sugarpova.
“She actually reminds me a lot of Venus (Williams), and the more I get to know her the more I think the things we share and can share in the future.”
Both tennis stars were coached by their fathers in their early careers, hence sharing familiar career foundations.
