To the very surprise of the tennis world, it was Serena Williams who inducted her former arch-rival Maria Sharapova into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Williams gave a stirring speech that was not without some jokes, and it also made Sharapova emotional.

Two days later, on Monday (August 25), Sharapova was presented with the Hall of Fame ring at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open. Following the ceremony, the 2006 US Open champion sat inside the ESPN commentator box, and she revisited the moment when she asked Williams to introduce her to the Hall of Fame .

It was the first person I thought of. I sent her a message… I said ‘Do you have a minute?’ I got a response. We spoke for an hour, and it happened. I just can’t believe we kept it a secret for that long.

Sharapova

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