When Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova square off in tomorrow's French Open fourth round, it should pop with page-turning intensity.
Williams is an avid reader and did not appreciate the tales Sharapova told about her in her memoir, Unstoppable: My Life So Far.
Sharapova: Numbers Don't Lie
"I think the book was 100 percent hearsay," Williams told the media in Paris. "At least all the stuff I read and the quotes that I read, which was a little disappointing."
The 23-time Grand Slam champion disputed how Sharapova recounted their relationship calling passages of the book "not necessarily true."
"The book was a lot about me," Williams told the media in Paris. "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.' So I was like, 'This is really interesting, but... I don't know.' I didn't know how she looked up to me that much or was so involved in my career."
The former world No. 1 suggested what annoyed her most about Sharapova's revelations is that they came after both Serena and older sister Venus both publicly made supportive comments about Sharapova in the aftermath of her testing positive for the banned drug meldonium following her 2016 Australian Open quarterfinal loss to Serena.
"I don't have any negative feelings towards her, which again, was a little disappointing to see in that hearsay book," Williams told the media. "Especially having a daughter, like, I feel like negativity is taught. One of the things I always say, I feel like women, especially, should bring each other up.
"And I was one of the few people that (was with) her whole drug incident, I was like, 'She was brave to say something.' I didn't have anything negative to say about Maria. So of course, I wanted to read (Unstoppable) and just see what was going on."
In her memoir, Sharapova writes her rift with Williams is rooted in the fact she saw Serena break down in tears following the Russian's stunning victory in the 2004 Wimbledon final. Sharapova writes Williams “has never forgiven me” for beating her in the 2004 Wimbledon final and for seeing Serena break down weeping afterward.
The five-time Grand Slam champion recounts seeing Serena sobbing “guttural sobs” and believes seeing raw, vulnerability in the 23-time Grand Slam champion is the real reason why Serena “hates” her.
While Williams doesn't dispute crying, she said "I think what happens (in the locker room) should definitely maybe stay there and not necessarily talk about it in a not-so-positive way in the book."