Maria Sharapova told Serena Williams she was 'much better' than current tennis stars

Maria Sharapova told Serena Williams she was “much better” than the current generation of tennis players when the pair met at the 2021 Met Gala.

Tennis fans were taken by surprise when Sharapova posted a picture of herself and the Williams sisters at last year’s event, with the trio shown laughing together.

Eagle-eyed fans then spotted Serena Williams and Sharapova chatting in the background of a photo posted by American rapper Saweetie.

It had long been believed that the Williams sisters and Sharapova did not get on, a result of their bitter rivalry on the court, but the images from the Met Gala put those rumours to bed.

Sharapova has now revealed part of the conversation she had with Serena Williams, claiming she encouraged the 23-time Grand Slam winner to make a comeback.

Speaking on ESPN during the US Open, she said: “We spoke about it at the Met Gala last year.”

“I said, ‘no disrespect to this generation, but you are so much better and you need to go out there’, so I’m glad that she had a chance here.”

“No disrespect to this generation but you are so much better, you need to be out there,” Sharapova says she told Serena at the Met last year.