“Called her washed, fat and never to win again” - Serena Williams fans recall American's epic Australian Open 2007 win over Maria Sharapova

Serena Williams’ fans recently recalled her famous win over Maria Sharapova in the 2007 Australian Open final. The American scored an emphatic 6-1, 6-3 victory over Sharapova that year to lift her third Australian Open and eighth Grand Slam overall.

Serena Williams had missed most of the 2006 season due to a chronic knee injury and was labeled “unfit” and “out of shape” by many when she made a comeback at the 2007 Australian Open. Ranked 81st in the world, she went on to become the first player since Chris O’Neil to win a Major while unseeded.

Williams defeated Mara Santangelo, Anne Kremer, Nadia Petrova, Jelena Janković, Shahar Pe'er and Nicole Vaidišová to set up a title-round clash with top seed Maria Sharapova. The Russian was considered the favorite by some to lift the trophy, but Williams came into the encounter with unparalleled ferocity.

On Tuesday, her fans took to Twitter to recall how the American tennis legend, who had been nearly written off and was on the verge of losing her Nike contract due to her poor performances, flipped the script with a vengeance Down Under.

“Called her washed, fat and never to win again. AND @Nike THREATENED TO DROP THEE SERENA WILLIAMS — EVEN AFTER 6 SLAMS (and her sister being killed). We ain’t forgot,” wrote one fan.

“Serena had a green dress, a black racket, a Nike contract on the line, disdain for her opponent, and a point to prove. This and the 2012 Olympic finals are two of my favorite Serena vs Sharapova beat downs. There was not letting up the ENTIRE MATCH!” recalled another.

Some fans commented that Williams proved her strong mentality and grit with her display, marveling at how managed to silence all her critics in style.

"Serena really had that mamba mentality here. There was nothing Sharapova could have done to stop her."

"From the walkout to the court - the purpose was clear. The American media had embraced Maria as the new queen of women's tennis & Serena had one thought on her mind: "Y'all got me f#@ked up". This, and dedicating to Yetunde gave her all the motivation she needed."

All about the Serena Williams-Maria Sharapova rivalry

Serena Williams - Maria Sharapova Rivalry

Williams and Sharapova met 22 times on the WTA tour between 2004-2019, with the American leading their head-to-head 20-2.

Serena Williams won their first meeting, in the Round of 16 at the 2004 Miami Masters, by a scoreline of 6-4, 6-3. However, the Russian upset Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final, winning 6-1, 6-4.

With their head-to-head leveled at 1-1, Sharapova also won their next encounter - which came in the final of the WTA Championship final the same year. She defeated Williams 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, and that marked her last victory over the American.

Williams swept the next 19 meetings between the two. Sharapova only took two more sets off her over the 19 matches - in the 2008 Charleston Open quarterfinals and the 2013 Miami Masters final.

The rivalry is infamous for their off-court jibes at each other too.