"I've never done that, a first time for anything" - When Serena Williams threw up in the middle of Australian Open final vs Maria Sharapova

The 2015 Australian Open final saw Serena Williams take on arch-rival Maria Sharapova in a blockbuster battle. It also saw Williams throw up in the middle of a match for the first time in her career.

Coming into the final, top seed Williams had beaten the likes of Garbine Muguruza and Madison Keys. On the other hand, Sharapova, the No. 2 seed took down the likes of Eugenie Bouchard and Ekaterina Makarova on the way to reaching the summit clash.

Williams started the encounter on the front foot, taking the opening set 6-3. Regardless, her physical fitness was not top notch, and the American was forced to call for a medical time-out and even ended up vomitting on the side of the court.

Speaking at her press conference afterwards, the 23-time Grand Slam champion joked about how there was a 'first time for everything.' in fact, she credited the throwing up for helping her feel better for the rest of the match.

Serena Williams also thanked the tournament doctor for giving her a little cough syrup to clear her chest, thanks to which she was able to pull herself back together.

"No, actually, I've never done that before. I guess there's a first time for anything. I think in a way that just helped me -- I felt better after that. My chest was really stuck at that point," Serena Williams said.

"The doctor gave me a little cough syrup and sent me on my way. It was like a small, small, small amount just to suppress. I was coughing so much. It was just forcing things out of me. So I was just trying to pull myself together," she added.

Although the second set was closer than the first, Williams sealed it 7-6(5) in a tiebreaker to lift her 19th Grand Slam title overall and sixth at the Australian Open.

Serena Williams ruled out rain break and roof closure affecting her in Australian Open final vs Maria Sharapova

Olympics Day 6 - Tennis - Source: Getty

On the night of the 2015 Australian Open final, there was also a short rain break, after which the roof was closed. At the press conference, Williams was asked if she would have preferred the roof to be closed from the start. However, the former World No. 1 did not think it would have made a difference in the end.

"Well, when we first went out to warm up there was a little rain. So I was like, Is it raining or is it just me? So I told the umpire. She's like, Okay. But then I guess it stopped for a second and everything was fine. Then it started raining again. Whatever the case was, it was okay with me," Serena Williams said.

After the Melbourne battle, Sharapova and Williams faced off three more times on the WTA Tour, with all three going in favor of the American for a final head-to-head lead of 20-2.