Maria Sharapova Shares Funny Reason For Texting Serena Williams Before Calling

Maria Sharapova shed light on how Serena Williams introduced her as the Russian tennis legend funnily admitted that she first needed to text the American to see if there would be a response before calling her former rival.

Sharapova, a former five-time Grand Slam champion and a former world No. 1, retired from pro tennis after the 2020 Australian Open. Last year, the Russian tennis icon became eligible for the Hall of Fame and was immediately inducted.

When Sharapova walked out in Newport for her International Tennis Hall of Fame induction last August, she was accompanied by none other than Williams. Needless to say, the moment drew massive attention and it was quite a move to pull off between the two tennis legends, who once didn't have a great relationship. 

Maria Sharapova ???? Serena Williams Bir gün bu sahneleri göreceğimizi kim tahmin edebilirdi? ???? Tenisimiz ❤️???? pic.twitter.com/T7tUYj5me1

— TenisHaberleri (@SadeceTenis) August 24, 2025

Speaking with Gayle King in New York, Sharapova revealed that after coming to the idea to have Williams induct her into the Hall of Fame, she gave a call to the 44-year-old

"You have her number?" Gayle funnily asked, to which the Russian responded: "I had her number. Since we've retired, we've gotten very close."

Before calling the American tennis legend, the 44-year-old Russian made sure to first text her former rival because she didn't want to risk her call being ghosted.

"Because I didn't want to call her and she doesn't pick up. So I texted her. She calls me right away. We spoke for over an hour. We didn't even touch upon the Hall of Fame until the last 5 minutes. We talked about our careers, our lives, our children, our businesses. So at the end of it I was like, 'Oh, by the way, would you induct me into the Tennis Hall of Fame?'" Sharapova said.