Why losing to Serena Williams is so special for Maria Sharapova

Can a five-time Grand Slam champion be called an underdog in a contest? What does it feel like to lose to someone 16 times in a row? Is there anyone out there to overcome the might and doggedness of Serena Williams? 

If not for Serena Williams, many players would have had their cabinets stuffed with trophies. At 33, Serena’s movement around the court and her competitiveness rivals that of a 23-year-old player. Many like Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters to name a few showed the spirit and the skill needed to deal with the younger Williams sister. Sadly, their careers faded sooner than Williams'. Which makes you salute Williams power play, her athleticism and her resilience even more.

But none have been as vexed by Williams' dominance as Maria Sharapova, who with the consecutive defeats has also been dealt a fatal psychological blow. Those shrieks that you hear on court are not just arising out of Sharapova putting her all into a shot, but of her demonstrating her frustration as to why she hasn’t been able to solve the puzzle that is Serena Williams.

It has been precisely 11 years since she last cracked it. Sharapova was a feisty 17-year-old girl, who announced her arrival in the sporting world when she defeated Serena on the Centre Court to clinch her first, and only, Wimbledon title in 2004. That’s one of her two victories over her arch nemesis; the last also coming in 2004. The duels between Sharapova and Williams are women’s tennis equivalent to football’s el clasico. But unlike those heated contests which see the momentum shifting from the Catalan giants to the Madrid club, this has been a rather one-sided contest. The rivalry takes an interesting, personal twist with Serena once taking a dig, at what many believe is Sharapova, in an interview to a leading magazine in 2013.

"She begins every interview with 'I'm so happy. I'm so lucky' – it's so boring. She's still not going to be invited to the cool parties. And, hey, if she wants to be with the guy with a black heart, go for it'," said Williams, who reportedly once dated Sharapova’s current beau, Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov. Sharapova didn’t take the personal attack, which Williams never verified was aimed at her, lying down. Even as Sharapova waxed eloquent about Williams as a sportswoman, the Russian couldn’t help but getting back at the American. "If she wants to talk about something personal, maybe she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids.” Ouch! Sharapova was referring to Williams' coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. Things have never been on “break point” between the two ever since. In fact one may as well say that thereafter if Sharapova is on the other side of the net, Williams plays as if she is dealing with her favourite worst enemy.

This merits the question that when Sharapova takes the big stage today, can you really hope she pulls off a masterstroke? Or a miracle? She is likely to have more of the crowd on her side, despite her high decibel levels annoying them. But the support stems not just because the Centre Court hearts Sharapova; there is a thrill in rooting for the underdog, someone who is fighting against all odds, who on paper really doesn’t stand a chance.

There is no denying that Serena Williams is a legend. She is looking to capture her fourth consecutive grand slam, which will make it the second time she does so. It will also bring her one step closer to the calendar year grand slam – winning all four in a year – a feat only accomplished by Steffi Graf in 1988. This will assert her iron-like dominance further in the sport. But the irony is that with many victories come fans who cannot wait to see you fall. But then Serena loves to silence her opponents and detractors with thundering aces.

Something tells us that there will be many flying down on Centre Court today.