Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova played out many classic encounters during their stunning careers, one of which took place in a Wimbledon final.

Sharapova clinched her first-ever Grand Slam title at the All England Club back in 2004, defeating Williams in the Wimbledon final that year.

Williams backed herself to return to Wimbledon glory after that defeat, in which the American lost 6-1, 6-4 to the Russian.

The WTA legends would meet 22 times in total during their careers, with Williams boasting a 20-2 win-loss record over Sharapova.

She finished her time on the court with a remarkable 23 Grand Slam titles, while the Russian retired with a total of five to her name.

Maria Sharapova correctly predicted to be a ‘big threat’ by Serena Williams in 2004

Sharapova has been impressed by Mirra Andreeva in more recent times, with the latter winning the Indian Wells title at 17.

The former was also just 17 when she lifted the iconic trophy at Wimbledon, having truly introduced herself to the tennis world in that Wimbledon final.

And despite defeat, Williams was full of praise for the champion, having been asked in her post-match press conference what kind of a threat Sharapova was to reach the very top and be a threat at each of the Grand Slams.

“I think she’s a big threat,” replied Williams. “I think, like I always say in all my interviews, I think everyone’s a big threat. You just can’t underestimate anyone. I think everyone is, yeah.”

Asked if she thought the teenager specifically was already at the very top group, she said: “For sure, definitely. You can’t say she’s not. I mean, anyone that wins a Grand Slam, you’ve got to put them at the top.”

Serena Williams liked how Maria Sharapova played everyone ‘really tough’

Sharapova failed to win another title on the Wimbledon grass, but did manage to emerge victorious in each of the other Grand Slams.

She would win twice on the clay courts of the French Open, along with clinching one Australian Open and one US Open title, both hard court events.

The tennis icon also lost five Grand Slam finals, with Williams managing to enact revenge on Sharapova on three occasions.

But the latter will always have that stunning Wimbledon to her name, in a final that involved the 13th seed overcoming the top seed.

Sharapova had only just produced a superb comeback win over fifth seed Lindsay Davenport to reach the final, with Williams having been left impressed by her consistency.

Also asked if she had the look of a player who is going to be around for a number of years, Williams replied: “Definitely.

“I like how she plays everyone really tough and not just a few players. When I see people that do that, then they definitely have a better look at being a champion.”

Year
Tournament
Surface
Opponent
Score

2004
Wimbledon
Grass
Serena Williams
6–1, 6–4

2006
US Open
Hard
Justine Henin
6–4, 6–4

2008
Australian Open
Hard
Ana Ivanovic
7–5, 6–3

2012
French Open
Clay
Sara Errani
6–3, 6–2

2014
French Open (2)
Clay
Simona Halep
6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–4