"I'm not the strongest girl, not the fastest girl" - When Maria Sharapova explained why she forcefully attacked Serena Williams over Dimitrov comments

Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams' beef is well-known in the tennis world, with tensions flaring on and off the court. It once escalated when they made comments about each other's personal lives, with the Russian later clarifying that her strong response was simply a reflection of her personality and not something she dwelled on.

The tension between Williams and Sharapova reached its peak during Wimbledon 2013. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the former appeared to take a subtle dig at the latter's relationship with Grigor Dimitrov. The duo dated for nearly two years before parting ways in 2015.

Sharapova responded to Williams' remarks during a pre-tournament press conference in London, suggesting that she should first look at her own (alleged) relationship with her then-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, before commenting on others. However, Williams later apologized for her comments.

In a conversation with The Wall Street Journal before the US Open that year, Maria Sharapova addressed the incident, saying she and Serena Williams had moved past what happened at Wimbledon and didn't discuss it much with each other.

"We haven't spoken too much about it. But we did [put it behind us]. We left a lot of what had happened in London," Sharapova said.

The five-time Major champion added:

"I've always been tough. It's won me a lot in life. I'm not the strongest girl, I'm not the fastest girl on the court, but I've been extremely tough and it's brought me many titles, many victories and many smiles."

Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams have since repaired their relationship

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova pictured at the 2024 Paris Fashion Week | Image Source: Getty

Even though Maria Sharapova mentioned in her 2017 autobiography 'Unstoppable: My Life So Far' that she wasn't friends with Serena Williams, the two have somewhat repaired their relationship.

This was evident when, seven months ago, Williams said in a series titled 'The Serena Collection' posted by altxyzofficial on YouTube that their feud was strictly business:

"Not anymore. I mean, was there ever beef? I guess. It was just competitive. She was winning, I was winning, you know, we both wanted to win, and I don’t think it was personal. It was just, ‘Do you want to win?'”

The duo put the rumors to rest when they posed together for a picture at the Met Gala in 2021. Later, Williams referred to Sharapova as her 'best friend' in 2022, after both became mothers. Most recently, they reunited at Paris Fashion Week this year.