Maria Sharapova was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 23. The award was presented to her by another tennis legend, Serena Williams. Serena congratulated Maria at the ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island, and Sharapova, 38, asked her to say a few words.

“To the world, we seemed infinitely different. In fact, we were not,” said Williams, 43. “We wanted the same thing at the same time: to be the best. In our sport, only one person can truly win the trophy. And what’s wrong with wanting to be the best? Nothing. In fact, that’s what drove us.

Five-time Grand Slam singles champion Sharapova was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame five years after retiring in 2020. In her acceptance speech, Serena spoke of her and Maria’s “flamboyant and storied” rivalry, which she said began with Sharapova’s 2004 Wimbledon victory. The tension between them in the years that followed was “real,” Williams acknowledged, though they did have a lot of respect for each other.

“There have only been a few players in my career who have challenged me to give it my all every time we stepped on the court,” she said. — Maria Sharapova was one of them.