"Serena, by far" - Maria Sharapova on her toughest competitor

Maria Sharapova recently appeared on the Never Stand Still podcast, hosted by Dan Schulman, where she showered praise on former rival Serena Williams. Sharapova claimed that Williams is "by far" the toughest player she has faced on tour.

Sharapova and Williams locked horns 22 times, with the American reigning supreme on a whopping 20 occasions. Interestingly, both of Sharapova's wins against Williams came in 2004, after which the 23-time Major champion won 19 straight matches against the Russian.

When asked to name her most intimidating opponent during the podcast, Sharapova did not think twice before naming Williams. The Russian highlighted how she was once left utterly distraught after a lopsided defeat against Monica Seles. But that was no match compared to the destruction inflicted upon her by Williams throughout their rivalry.

“Serena, by far," Maria Sharapova began. "When I was young, I lost to Monica Seles like 6-0,6-1 (Note: It was 6-0, 6-2 at Indian Wells in 2002) and I actually thought I had played a really good match and I came off the court, I was just bawling, I don’t know if I was sixteen or maybe I was seventeen and I said to my dad who was my coach at the time ‘I really thought I played well.’ I just got completely torn apart (laughing). But yeah, Serena was definitely the toughest competitor and the most challenging and the most consistent in her level."

During the podcast, the five-time Slam champion revealed that she met Serena Williams "a few weeks ago" and egged on the American in a motivating way.

“We just saw each other in a match in New York a few weeks ago,” Sharapova said. “We were discussing how old we are now compared to the US Open final. She was like, ‘oh goodness we are up there.’ And I was like, ‘Woah! You still got it girl.'”

"Martina Navratilova told my father we need to get out of Russia" - Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova hits a forehand at the 2020 US Open

During the podcast, Maria Sharapova also revealed that tennis legend Martina Navratilova convinced her family to shift base to the United States of America to receive better conditions and to improve the Russian's chances of success.

The 34-year-old claimed that her father took heed of Navratilova's advice and moved to the US even though his wife did not accompany them.

“At the age of five, I went to this little clinic in Moscow that was held by Martina Navratilova and she told my father we need to get out of Russia," Maria Sharapova said. "These circumstances for an athlete are much better in the US, particularly in Florida, and my father never looked back. He talked to my mom. She took a huge chance and my father and I went to Florida on a plane without her."