Maria Sharapova says Serena Williams still has what it takes to carry on playing

Former tennis star Maria Sharapova has stressed that Serena Williams has “still got it”, despite rumours of her impending retirement. 

Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles but remains one short of Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24. 

The 40-year-old last won a major at the Australian Open in 2017 and has since lost four finals –– the last of which came at the US Open in 2019. 

Lately, questions have been raised over Williams’ ability to continue playing, given her recent struggles with injuries. The American has missed the last two Grand Slams because of physical problems and has plummeted to 241st in the world rankings. 

Sharapova, however, believes her once rival still has what it takes to compete at the top level. 

Speaking on the ‘Never Stand Still’ podcast, the Russian joked that she and Williams were ‘old now’ but that the US icon still has more left to give. 

“We just saw each other in a match in New York a few weeks ago,” she said. “We were discussing how old we are now compared to the US Open final. She was like, ‘oh goodness we are up there.’ And I was like, ‘Woah! You still got it girl.”

Sharapova’s kind words are somewhat surprising, considering the heated rivalry the two had over the course of two decades. 

It was Williams who won 20 of their 22 meetings, but the Russian famously beat the 40-year-old at Wimbledon back in 2004. 

The duo last met in the 2019 US Open, where Williams triumphed 6-1 6-1, on course to the final, where she eventually lost to Bianca Andreescu. 

While Williams remains in search of a record-equalling Grand Slam, Sharapova retired from the sport more than two years ago. 

She ended her career with five major titles and is one of just seven women in the open era to win the