Maria Sharapova left the French Open without much of a fight, but had enough left in the tank to deliver a parting shot at Serena Williams.
Following her 70-minute defeat to Garbine Muguruza 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros on Wednesday, the Russian spent a portion of her press conference addressing criticism made by her rival about her autobiography, in which Williams claimed the book was “100 percent hearsay.”
“When you’re writing an autobiography, I don’t think there is any reason to write anything that’s not true,” Sharapova said.
In “Unstoppable” — Sharapova’s autobiography — the 31-year-old said her rivalry with Williams started after 2004 Wimbledon, where Sharapova won her first Grand Slam by defeating Williams in straight sets.
“I think Serena hated me for being the skinny kid who beat her, against all odds, at Wimbledon,” Sharapova wrote in the book. “Not long after I heard Serena told a friend, who then told me, ‘I’ll never lose to that little bitch again.'”
Sharapova and Williams were supposed to meet in the fourth round of the French Open on Monday, but Williams had to withdraw from the pair’s 22nd meeting with a last-minute injury. Williams is 19-2 against Sharapova, including 18 straight wins.
After her third-round win against Julia Goerges, Williams charged at Sharapova’s book, questioning why it wasn’t truthful — at least to her — and why Sharapova was so obsessed with her as a subject.
“I think the book was 100 percent hearsay, at least all the stuff I read and the quotes that I read, which was a little bit disappointing,” said Williams, who played in her first Grand Slam since giving birth last year.
“The book was a lot about me. I was surprised about that, to be honest. You know, I was, like, ‘Oh, OK.’ I didn’t expect to be reading a book about me that wasn’t necessarily true.”
Sharapova said it was necessary to include Williams since the pair have faced off numerous times during their careers.
“I think there is a lot of autobiographies out in the world, especially in the sporting world, that don’t necessarily speak about whether they were rivals or someone they competed against,” Sharapova said.
“And I think we played many matches. Some of those matches were very defining for me. It would be very strange, I think, if I didn’t write anything about her. I think everyone would ask me questions, as well.”