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Maria Sharapova's so-called rivalry with Serena Williams will define her career - she made sure of that

Maria Sharapova was on the losing end of over 90 per cent of her matches against Serena Williams  - Heathcliff O'Malley
Maria Sharapova was on the losing end of over 90 per cent of her matches against Serena Williams - Heathcliff O'Malley

Inevitably, on the day Maria Sharapova announced she was leaving tennis for good, 'Serena Williams' began trending.

"Say what you will about Maria Sharapova  - but there was no one better than her at losing to Serena Williams," one Twitter user said.

Another posted a compilation video of Williams serving aces against Sharapova, with the caption: "What I'll miss from Sharapova."

Then, a looping video of Williams doing a celebratory dance on court after beating the Russian at the 2012 Olympic final began circulating.

Many others shared the stat that will haunt Sharapova's career: she is 2-20 in head-to-heads with Williams, and ends on a 16-year, 19-match losing streak to the American.

In between fans and players congratulating the Russian tennis star for a stellar career and others bashing her as a "drugs cheat" for the meldonium scandal which saw her serve a 15-month ban, reaction to Sharapova's retirement on Tuesday was dominated by talk of her infamous 'un-rivalry' with Williams.

As a five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova, 32, is an undeniably prominent figure in tennis. She is one of just six women in the Open era to win all four majors, a name that transcends the sport (as her Vogue-penned farewell to tennis shows), and the second-highest grossing sportswoman of all time according to Forbes (top of that list is Williams).

That those accolades be diminished in value because of her results against Williams seems vaguely unfair when the large majority players have losing records against the 23-time major champion. Only five players have beaten Williams more than four times, and only one of those, her sister Venus, remains active on the tour.

And yet, when you look closely, it does seem like a reality of Sharapova's own making.

In 22 meetings, the Russian has beaten Williams just twice - both times in 2004. But in the intervening decade and a half, Sharapova has gone to pains to keep the ascending Williams firmly within her own narrative.

Most notably, Sharapova's 2017 autobiography 'Unstoppable: My Life So Far' mentioned Williams by name over 100 times while making clear the pair are "not friends". One particular story in it stands out, dating back to their second and still most famous meeting, when Sharapova beat Williams at the 2004 Wimbledon final, aged just 17. Her account of what happened afterwards is most interesting though.

Sharapova's famous Wimbledon 2004 win would be one of just two victories over Williams - REX
Sharapova's famous Wimbledon 2004 win would be one of just two victories over Williams - REX

“What I heard when I came in to the locker room was Serena Williams bawling,” she wrote. “Guttural sobs. I got out as quickly as I could, but she knew I was there.”

She continued: "I think Serena hated me for being the skinny kid who beat her, against all odds... I think she hated me for seeing her at her lowest moment. But mostly I think she hated me for hearing her cry. She’s never forgiven me for it.

"Not long after the tournament, I heard Serena told a friend – who then told me – 'I will never lose to that little b**** again'."

Williams responded to the claims, calling much of it "hearsay" and saying what happens in the locker room should stay there. Then, she made an observation: "As a fan, I wanted to read the book and I was really excited for it to come out and I was really happy for her. And then the book was a lot about me. I was surprised about that, to be honest.

"I was, like, Oh, okay. I didn’t expect to be reading a book about me, that wasn’t necessarily true... I didn’t know she looked up to me that much or was so involved in my career."

Sharapova has spent much of her career making links with Williams, as have the media to her credit, and it is arguable that the 2004 Wimbledon loss added fuel to the American's drive to win. But this was not a rivalry of the heights of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert (37-22) or Williams and sister Venus (18-12). This was truly one-sided on the court, and characterised more by the off-court swipes and Sharapova's huge public persona than the tennis iteself.

To exist in the same era as a champion of Williams' stature must be frustrating. To lose eight times to Williams at Grand Slams as Sharapova did - three of those in a final. As well as the shoulder injury Sharapova picked up in 2007, which this month forced her retirement, Williams was a direct obstacle to the Russian achieving so much more. But the mistake is thinking this makes her's a unique story - and not the story of an entire era of tennis.

Williams only has a losing record against six top 10 players she has ever faced - three of which she has only played once. So Sharapova is in pretty packed, though still impressive, company with her own 2-20 statistic.

"Serena Williams has marked the heights and the limits of my career — our stories are intertwined,” Sharapova wrote in her book.  “It was Serena whom I beat in the Wimbledon final to emerge on the international stage at seventeen, and it’s Serena who’s given me the hardest time since."

Though she is right in thinking her career will always be remembered for that initial Wimbledon win, her story forms only a small part of Williams'. Their final meeting, at the 2019 US Open first round, will ultimately serve as the last word - on the court at least. That Williams dominated to beat Sharapova 6-1, 6-1 seems only appropriate.