MELBOURNE—Serena Williams, who beat Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Tuesday, admitted that it is pretty strange she has beaten her 18 times in a row.
Sharapova stunned Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final, and then the Russian overcame her at the WTA Tour Championships in Los Angeles. She hasn’t beaten her since.
Serena has now beaten Sharapova four times at the Australian Open, including last year when she defeated her in the final.
“Something about her game, I like the way she hits the ball,” Williams, who will face Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals, said. “Plus, when I play her, I know automatically I have to step up my game. I think that makes me play better. When I play better, when I'm forced to play better, I do well.”
The 34-year-old Williams said that she gets along well with Radwanska these days. The two clashed back in 2008, when the world No. 1 easily beat the 26-year-old in Berlin. Serena has won all eight of their meetings, including the 2012 Wimbledon final, which she won in three sets.
They haven’t played each other in two years, but Williams said that they’ve been hanging out and talking.
“I know Aga really well,” Serena said. “She's a really nice girl. She goes out of her way to say hi. It's really cool. We always get along. She's great.”
Interestingly, the 21-time Grand Slam champion said that, win or lose, she will have a good time on court. In 2015, Serena won three majors. When she lost in the semis of the U.S. she was clearly upset, and decided not to play the rest of the year.
Serena has yet to decide when she will retire, but as long as she’s playing she’s going to continue to enjoy it.