Once upon a time, there were two beautiful princesses who were sweet, kind and supported each other in a kingdom dominated by men…
Wait a minute, that’s not this story. This is less fairy tale and more soap opera.
Like all good soap operas, the story centers around a rivalry between two complete opposites who polarize fans. There is Serena Williams, the beautiful powerhouse with curves of granite who is the number 1 female tennis player in the world. Williams is the outspoken anti-hero with multiple personalities (that she has named), who comes from the wrong side of the tracks. Then there is Maria Sharapova, the beautiful blonde whose tall, thin good looks have landed her several modeling assignments, including the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Sharapova is the number 2 female tennis player in the world (behind Serena) and is a media darling racking up enough commercial endorsements to make her the highest paid female athlete of 2013. She spent her early life in a resort town in Russia and moved to the US to enroll in a pedigreed tennis academy.
Serena and Maria’s conflict began in 2004 when the 17 year-old Sharapova beat the number one seeded Williams. The professional rivalry continued with Williams asserting her dominance for years. However, the rivalry has now taken a personal turn that centered around their romantic lives. Sharapova has been dating Grigor Dimitrov, who happens to be Williams’ ex-boyfriend. Williams made the following remarks during a Rolling Stone interview published this week, and although she doesn’t name Sharapova specifically, it’s not difficult to figure out who she’s talking about:
“There are people who live, breathe and dress tennis. I mean, seriously, give it a rest.” Serena exits the car and the conversation moves on to a top-five player who is now in love. “She begins every interview with ‘I’m so happy. I’m so lucky’ – it’s so boring,” says Serena in a loud voice. “She’s still not going to be invited to the cool parties. And, hey, if she wants to be with the guy with a black heart, go for it.”
Ouch.
Sharapova responded with her own claws-out barb aimed at Williams’ lovelife (Williams is romantically linked with coach Patrick Mouratoglou who was married until recently):
Man, chicks are mean.
Stay tuned for the next episode of the soap opera where Williams has a love child with Sharapova’s boyfriend, so Sharapova marries Williams’ dad and cuts Serena out of the will, which will of course lead to someone pushing someone else into the open grave at the funeral.