Following Serena Williams' injury issues from a year ago, Maria Sharapova recently disclosed that she was one of several who urged her to make one more comeback.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion missed all of last year's Wimbledon due to a hamstring injury and didn't play again until the same competition in 2022. After a third-round defeat at the US Open in front of her home supporters, Williams retired from tennis, something she announced a few weeks prior.
Sharapova said she was pleased to see the American make one last push before retiring this year in an interview with ESPN, where she was invited to commentate on the semifinal match between Caroline Garcia and Ons Jabeur at Flushing Meadows.
“It was amazing to see Serena’s run and the glory and the gracious tenacity as she carried through to the end of her career. We spoke about it at the net last year during this time of year and I said no disrespect to this generation but you are so much better and you need to go out there, so I’m glad that she had a chance here," said Sharapova.