Maria Sharapova Reveals Why She Was Nervous to Call Serena Williams Before Her Hall of Fame Ceremony

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova at the International Tennis Hall of Fame on August 23, 2025. Credit: Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty NEED TO KNOW Maria Sharapova spoke with Gayle King at the Time100 Summit in New York City on Wednesday, April 22 At the event, the tennis champion was asked about her former rivalry turned friendship with Serena Williams Sharapova also confessed she was apprehensive about asking Williams to introduce her at the International Tennis Hall of Fame Maria Sharapova confesses she was nervous to ask for a favor from longtime competitor Serena Williams .

Sharapova, 39, sat down with Gayle King at the Time100 Summit in New York City on Wednesday, April 22, and opened up about the dynamic between herself and Williams, 44, throughout the years. As King, 71, briefly highlighted the pair's competitive tension over the past couple of decades, she asked why Sharapova asked Williams to introduce her at the 2025 International Tennis Hall of Fame. Sharapova immediately explained that Williams was the "first person that came to mind" for her induction ceremony.

"I had some of the toughest moments and some of the biggest victories on the court with Serena," Sharapova said. "At the end of the day, we have so much deep respect for each other, and there was no one that I wanted to see other than her up on stage. " Maria Sharapova on April 22, 2026 in New York City.

Credit: Craig Barritt/Getty Sharapova then noted she had to personally call Williams, and King joked, "You have her number? " The tennis champion cheekily replied, "I had her number. Since we've retired, we've gotten very close.