On paper, it may seem that Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova didn’t have much of a rivalry: Serena led the head-to-head 20-2.
However, what may have inspired the American to dominate the Russian in her career was the first of her two defeats, which took place on this day 21 years ago.
In the Wimbledon final in 2004, against the odds, the then 17-year-old Sharapova stunned two-time defending champion Serena 6-1, 6-4 to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title.
During that tournament, Sharapova took her English, Maths and Sociology exams, but in the dramatic summit clash, she passed her toughest test. She became the first Russian to win Wimbledon and its second-youngest champion (after 16-year-old Martina Hingis) in the Open Era.
As Serena hit a forehand into the net, Sharapova sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands. After a wonderful embrace with her opponent, she went into the stands to hug her father, Yuri. Then, before the trophy ceremony, she tried to call her mother, Yelena, who was on a flight to New York. “I was trying to call Mum but it kept switching off,” she said.
As it turned out, her mother had watched the match while travelling. A few weeks later, Sharapova signed a sponsorship deal with Motorola.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know what happened in the match. I don’t know how I won. I don’t know what the tactics were. I was just out there. I was just playing. I couldn’t care less what was going on outside me. I was in my own little world. I don’t know what world that was really,” said Sharapova.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com