Wimbledon 2018: Serena Williams receives support from Maria Sharapova in her bid to be seeded
What's the story?
Longtime rival Maria Sharapova has come to the aid of Serena Williams, asking the WTA to give her a seeding for Wimbledon. Williams is coming back to the sport after giving birth and is currently ranked 454th in the world.
In case you didn't know...
The American tennis player is considered one of the greatest players, men or women, to grace the sport. Williams has won 23 singles Grand Slams in the open era, along with 14 doubles and 4 mixed doubles. Her last grand slam came in Australia two years ago, when she beat sister, Venus. Remarkably, Williams was eight weeks pregnant when she won the tournament.
Heart of the matter
Women's tennis player Maria Sharapova told the media that she would back a Grand Slam seeding for Serena Williams for Wimbledon. Williams is currently ranked 454th in the world after she missed from the action the whole of last year as she had to take care of her newborn child.
Sharapova and Williams have been often at odds with each other on and off the court. However, the Russian's comments prove that there is mutual respect. Sharapova also said that Williams put in an extraordinary amount of effort to come back to the court and she would like to see that rewarded.
"I think that would be nice," said Sharapova when asked about a Grand Slam seeding for her rival, “For a woman to come back on tour, having a child is great. It’s just another whole dimension to the travel, to the experiences, to the emotions, to the physicality of every single day.”
What next?
Roland Garros is the next biggest tournament on the tennis schedule. Surprisingly, Serena Williams will be taking part in this year's edition of the French Open. All eyes will be on the American as she makes her much-awaited return.
Author's take
Sharapova and Williams' rivalry has been one of the most talked about aspects of Women's tennis. However, the rivalry has taken a backseat for the last few years. Nevertheless, with both the players back, fans will be eagerly waiting for them to rekindle one of the greatest rivalries of the sport.