Maria Sharapova could knock Serena Williams out of the French Open today - here's why she says Williams 'hated' her throughout their rivalry
- Old foes Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova come to blows in the French Open on Monday.
- The match arrives on the heels of Williams responding to details about her in Sharapova's 2017 autobiography.
- Sharapova claimed Williams "hated" her for hearing her cry after beating her to the 2004 Wimbledon Championships title.
- Williams slammed the book as "hearsay" and now gets the chance to write her own chapter when the pair contest a Round of 16 match at Roland-Garros.
Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams renew their tennis rivalry at the French Open today.
Sharapova and Williams clash in the Round of 16 at Roland-Garros on Monday afternoon and both will be determined to win as it would punctuate their respective comebacks - Williams because of pregnancy, and Sharapova because of a drugs ban.
But victory today would perhaps taste that much sweeter because of their history - one that has been put back into the spotlight this week.
In Sharapova's autobiography "Unstoppable: My Life so Far" published in 2017, the 31-year-old claimed Williams "hated her" for being "the skinny kid who beat her, against all odds, at Wimbledon [in 2004]."
Sharapova also wrote that she thought Williams hated her "for hearing her cry." She added: "She's never forgiven me for it."
Williams was asked about the book this week. The American admitted to the tears but says other claims were "100% hearsay."
"I have cried in the locker room many times after a loss, and that's what I have seen a lot of people do," Williams said, according to the BBC. "I think what happens there should definitely maybe stay there and not necessarily talk about it in a not-so-positive way in a book.
"I don't have any negative feelings towards her, which again, was a little disappointing to see in that hearsay book… 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. [But] I didn't expect to be reading a book about me, that wasn't necessarily true."
Williams gets a chance to write her own chapter when she returns to the court today.