Maria Sharapova spoke with Gayle King at the Time100 Summit in New York City on Wednesday, April 22
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At the event, the tennis champion was asked about her former rivalry turned friendship with Serena Williams
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Sharapova also confessed she was apprehensive about asking Williams to introduce her at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
Maria Sharapovaconfesses she was nervous to ask for a favor from longtime competitorSerena Williams.
Sharapova, 39, sat down with Gayle King at the Time100 Summit in New York City on Wednesday, April 22, and opened up about the dynamic between herself and Williams, 44, throughout the years.
As King, 71, briefly highlighted the pair's competitive tension over the past couple of decades, she asked why Sharapova asked Williams to introduce her at the 2025 International Tennis Hall of Fame. Sharapova immediately explained that Williams was the "first person that came to mind" for her induction ceremony.
"I had some of the toughest moments and some of the biggest victories on the court with Serena," Sharapova said. "At the end of the day, we have so much deep respect for each other, and there was no one that I wanted to see other than her up on stage."
Sharapova then noted she had to personally call Williams, and King joked, "You have her number?" The tennis champion cheekily replied, "I had her number. Since we've retired, we've gotten very close."
But, as Sharapova continued, she confessed that she first texted Williams, "because I didn't want to call her and she doesn't pick up."
"So I texted her. She calls me right away. We spoke for over an hour. We didn't even touch upon the Hall of Fame until the last 5 minutes. We talked about our careers, our lives, our children, our businesses, " Sharapova recalled. "So at the end of it I was like, 'Oh, by the way, would you induct me into the Tennis Hall of Fame?' "
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As for what Williams did to prepare for the induction, Sharapova said Williams did so like a "true athlete." Sharapova said that Williams interviewed her later and brought notes.
"Nobody knew —not even my father who was sitting right next to me — before she came on stage," Sharapova said. "I wanted to be a big surprise for everyone, and I felt it in the room."
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After the induction,Sharapova spoke to PEOPLEabout her and Williams' introduction and their unexpected close friendship.
"She showed up big time and she delivered a phenomenal speech," Sharapova said. "It was really thoughtful that she accepted being there. There's no one else that I thought of for this occasion, and I think she also realized how impactful it would've been ... So yeah, it was a really special moment."
Sharapova shared that their friendship flourished because of their "mutual respect" for one another's work ethic, dedication and discipline that they both had throughout their careers.
"I looked up to [Serena and Venus] so much, and then I found myself across the net from Serena when I was a teenager, playing in my first Grand Slam final to many more Grand Slams," she said. "So many years facing each other to then her accepting to induct me into the Hall of Fame was a full-circle moment."
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