Serena Williams was made to sit through a rather uncomfortable press conference ahead of her much-anticipated French Open 2018 match against Maria Sharapova. Williams, who's aiming to add to her haul of 23 Grand Slams, is making a comeback to Majors after the 2017 Australian Open.
During an interaction with the media after her third round win on Saturday, Williams was asked a bizarre questioned by an unidentified reporter. The journalist told the legend she must want to get back to her daughter but asked her to 'work with me here, please'.
"We're in this together, baby," he said. Clearly taken aback, Williams responded: "No we're not; you're not going home to a screaming baby."
That was just the start, the reporter then went on to tell Williams that he's waited he'd waited for 'about 14 years' to ask her a question.
"After the 2004 Wimbledon match with Maria, I had the opportunity to interview Donald Trump on his (Los Angeles) golf course, and he said that Maria's shoulders were incredibly alluring and then he came up with this extraordinary analysis: That you were intimidated by her supermodel good looks.
"My question is: Have you ever been intimidated by anyone on a tennis court, and what are your thoughts about the occurrence?"
By this time, the tension in the room was palpable. Williams, though, kept her calm and said: "I honestly don't have any thoughts about that. I can't say I have been intimidated by anyone. That's all. That's it."
Meanwhile, Williams turned up the heat ahead of her Roland Garros clash with bitter rival Sharapova, saying the claims about her in the Russian's book were 'hearsay' and not 'necessarily true'.
Sharapova, who Williams has beaten 18 times in a row, claimed in her recent memoir Unstoppable that Serena "hated" her for hearing her cry after the 2004 Wimbledon final.
The fourth-round match at Roland Garros on Monday will be the first time the two have faced off since the American's win in the 2016 Australian Open quarter-finals -- Sharapova's last match before serving a 15-month doping ban.
"I think the book was 100% hearsay, at least all the stuff I read and the quotes that I read, which was a little bit disappointing," said Williams after her 6-3, 6-4 third-round win over Julia Goerges.
"I have cried in the locker room many times after a loss, and that's what I have seen a lot of people do. I think it's normal. It's a Wimbledon final, you know. So it's just, like, I think it would be more shocking if I wasn't in tears...
"The book was a lot about me. I was surprised about that, to be honest. You know, I was, like, 'oh, okay. I didn't expect to be reading a book about me, that wasn't necessarily true'."
The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who holds a 19-2 record over Sharapova, is playing her first major tournament since winning the 2017 Australian Open, after giving birth to her daughter Olympia.
Williams's only two losses to fellow former world number one Sharapova came 14 years ago -- in the 2004 Wimbledon final and at the WTA Tour Championships -- before even the birth of Twitter and YouTube.
But both are on the road back towards the top of the sport after their recent absences.
Williams had played only four matches since taking time off due to pregnancy before arriving at Roland Garros.
Sharapova is seeded for the first time at a Grand Slam since her suspension for using meldonium and is playing her first French Open since 2015 after being refused a wildcard by tournament organisers last year.
But the 36-year-old thinks the Russian should be the favourite on Monday as she lacks playing time, while Sharapova produced her best tennis since returning to the court in dismantling former world number one Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 6-1.
"Quite frankly, she's probably a favourite in this match, for sure," added Serena.
"She's been playing for over a year now. I just started. So I'm just really trying to get my bearings and trying to feel out where I am and see where I can go."
Numbers don't lie
The rivalry between the two has been a bitter one since the Russian's shock victory over Williams as a 17-year-old at Wimbledon, but she admitted that the "numbers don't lie".
Sharapova has lost their last seven meetings in straight sets and has managed to take only three sets in those 18 straight losses.
"Any time you play against Serena you know what you're up against," said the 31-year-old.
"You know the challenge that is upon you. You know, despite the record that I have against her, I always look forward to coming out on the court and competing against the best player.
"I think there is a lot of things in her game that she's done much better than I have... Numbers don't lie." But for all the bad blood between the two over the years -- often involving claims and counter-claims over their private lives -- Sharapova added in her book that reconciliation may come once the on-court battles are over.
"Serena and I should be friends; we have the same passion. But we are not. I think, to some extent, we have driven each other. Maybe that's what it takes," she wrote.
"Only when you have that intense antagonism can you find the strength to finish her off. Who knows? Some day, when all this is in our past, maybe we'll become friends."
(Inputs from PTI)
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