Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, two tennis legends, have made a strong mark on the sport. While Sharapova will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2025, Serena will have to wait until 2027 to receive that honor.
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have been the two most prominent female tennis players on the WTA over the past two decades. Both have won numerous titles and have had a huge impact on the tennis world. But when looking at the record books, Serena seems to have the upper hand, with 23 Grand Slam titles to Sharapova’s five.
Interestingly, however, Sharapova will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHOF) in 2025, while Serena will have to wait longer.
Serena (left) must wait until 2027 to receive the same honor as Sharapova (right)
Reasons why Serena is not eligible for the “Hall of Fame”
Under ITHOF rules, a player must be out of action for five years before being eligible for Hall of Fame nomination. Serena, despite being older than Sharapova, has been active in Grand Slam tournaments through 2022, including reaching the 2019 US Open final and the semifinals in 2020.
This means Serena will have to wait until 2027 to qualify. Meanwhile, Sharapova retires in 2020, which would allow her to complete the five-year requirement in 2025 and receive the honor early.
Serena Williams: Legend with a huge collection of titles
Serena, born in Compton, California, along with her sister Venus, revolutionized women’s tennis. Serena brought not only a powerful and tenacious playing style but also excellent tactical thinking.
In total, she won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in the Open Era (since 1968), along with 14 Grand Slam doubles titles when partnering with Venus. Not stopping there, Serena also brought home 4 Olympic gold medals, contributing a large part to the success of American tennis.
With outstanding talent, Serena has 73 titles in her career, from WTA 1000, 500 to WTA 250 tournaments. But her influence goes far beyond the court as Serena is a symbol of strength, power and resilience, an inspiration to millions of fans around the world.
Maria Sharapova: The resilient tennis “doll”
Sharapova, a tennis talent from Russia, attracted attention when she won Wimbledon at the age of 17 in 2004, opening a brilliant career. Possessing beautiful playing style, elegant style and perseverance, she quickly became one of the most beloved tennis players and a beauty icon of the tennis world.
With 5 Grand Slams, Sharapova not only left her mark in her playing career but also built a business empire after retiring.
Serena and Sharapova each represent a distinct model of success. Serena has a strong, aggressive style of play and the ability to stay at the top of her game for years, breaking all age barriers.
Meanwhile, Sharapova maintains a calm demeanor and a playing style based on technique and perseverance. Serena always has the upper hand over Sharapova with 20 wins out of 22 matches, but she is also one of the opponents that brings many memorable memories to the “Russian Doll”.
