"Maria had the most respect for Serena Williams over any player" claims former Sharapova coach

| by Drew Tate

Michael Joyce, the former coach of Maria Sharapova claims that the Russian had more respect for Serena Williams than any other player.

Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams had a great rivalry on the court that delivered some spectacular moments and some great matches. The Russian burst onto the scene as a teenager captivating the world of tennis for a while. Williams, known to enjoy the spotlight, was not too fond of Sharapova initially but they grew to respect one another over time.

Sharapova won two of their first three matches adding fuel to the fire but eventually, Williams was able to outlast Sharapova as the more injury-free player beating her 19 times in a row to set the H2H to the current one of 20-2. Speaking about their relationships, Sharapova's former coach Michael Joyce explained:

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"I think ultimately, Maria probably had the most respect for Serena over any player. I'm just saying this based on what I think. She never said it, but I just feel like Maria always felt that no matter who she was playing, she always had a shot. Sloane Stephens might be beating her, but Maria always felt like if she hung in there and if she was tough, she could turn it around."

He added:

"But there was a point with Serena where it was just like Serena's bringing her A game. I think Maria was pretty predictable in some ways about how she was playing and Serena went through that period for three to four years where she just blew her away."

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