Thunder and lightning are expected to light up Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday, and that’s only the weather forecast. After the deluge of words that accompanied the most anticipated collision of this French Open there is a gathering conviction here that Maria Sharapova will emerge from her fourth-round match on Monday celebrating her first win over Serena Williams in 19 matches, leavened only by the obligatory nod of consolation.
They might also swap an air-kiss of the check (double, not triple) – or half a smile. They are, after all, mature professionals. Yet, whatever the cosmetics applied in the interests of balance, good taste and commerce, there is no denying the heat between them is not generated by anything other than respect and trepidation.
And what a story they have authored, not as collaborators but arch enemies. They have not met since January 2016, when Williams defeated her in the Australian Open quarter-finals. No sooner had Sharapova packed her bags than she failed a test for the banned substance meldonium – which she announced at a stage-managed press conference in a dowdy Los Angeles hotel in March, pre-empting the official statement by the International Tennis Federation. Banishment followed. For a year since she has been rebuilding her career, now ranked 30 in the world.
Williams, meanwhile, went on to earn $8.9m in prize money and $20m in endorsements in 2016, becoming the highest paid female athlete in the world. The following year she beat her sister Venus in the Australian Open final, carrying her recently conceived baby. The birth was complicated and painful. When she returned to the majors here last weekend, she brought her daughter, Olympia, and wore a black catsuit to help control blood clots that have troubled her since giving birth.
Their rivalry is not an even sporting one but a fight for the love of the fans – as well as sponsors – and their place in history.
Williams, whose hauteur at 36 has garnered some media critics, has some close friends in the game – notably Venus, Caroline Wozniacki and Marion Bartoli – while the 31-year-old Sharapova remains distant in the locker room, not to say regal. Her fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova has understanding words for her but, generally, other players do not get many invites to her photo-shoots.
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
