WATCH: Verbal shots precede Serena Williams-Maria Sharapova meeting

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will meet in a highly-anticipated fourth-round meeting at the French Open, but the verbal jousting has begun already.

Williams, who leads the lopsided rivalry 19-2, was asked by press about her dominance against Sharapova. In her recent autobiography, the Russian attributes it partly to Williams' extra motivation since 2004, when Sharapova shocked her to win Wimbledon.

"I think the book was 100 percent hearsay, at least all the stuff I read and the quotes that I read, which was a little bit disappointing," said Williams.

Serena Williams' press conference:

Sharapova had described hearing Williams in the locker-room following her victory at Wimbledon. "Guttural sobs, the sort that make you heave for air, the sort that scares you," she wrote. "People often wonder why I have had so much trouble beating Serena... but, to me, the real answer was there, in this locker room, where I was changing and she was bawling. I think Serena hated me for being the skinny kid who beat her, against all odds, at Wimbledon."

Sharapova added that she had "heard Serena told a friend – who then told me" that Serena had said she never wanted to be defeated that "little b" again.

Williams did drop their next encounter at the 2004 WTA Finals, but has since won 18 straight meetings. She acknowledged she has sometimes been tearful following defeats—retired WTA player Tatiana Golovin also mentioned seeing something similar this week—especially those like the final of Wimbledon.

"So it's just, like, I think it would be more shocking if I wasn't in tears," said Williams. "And I am emotional and I do have emotions and I wear them on my sleeve. So for me I think it's totally normal. I think what happens there [in the locker room] should definitely maybe stay there and not necessarily talk about it in a not-so-positive way in a book."

While Williams has won far more on court since then, Sharapova has earned more off the court—according to Forbes, she was the world's highest-paid female athlete until receiving an anti-doping suspension in 2016, when Williams moved in front. Sharapova, who tested positive for a recently-banned substance, said she did not know the rules had been changed.

This will also be their first on-court meeting since 2016, with Williams playing just her third singles event since having her first child, and Sharapova returning in 2017 from her suspension.

Maria Sharapova's press conference:

Williams said she had been excited about the publication of Sharapova's autobiography, and denied that she played Sharapova any differently than other rivals.

"I was really happy for her," said Williams. "And I was one of the few people that, you know, said that she was, when her whole drug incident, I was, like, she was brave to say something. I didn't have anything negative to say about Maria. So of course I wanted to read it.

"And then the book was a lot about me. I was surprised about that, to be honest. You know, I was, like, Oh, okay. I didn't expect to be reading a book about me, that wasn't necessarily true. So I was, like, this is really interesting, but, you know, I don't know.

"I don't have any negative feelings towards her, which again, was a little disappointing to see in that hearsay book. So I have always, you know, and especially having a daughter, like, I feel like negativity is taught. One of the things I always say, I feel like women, especially, should bring each other up.

"Before her incident of drugs or not, you know, I just feel like she was, you know, doing good before that. So I feel like now she's doing well,  again, and I have never had any hard feelings toward her. So I feel like whenever I play her, obviously I go there the way I play everyone else. I go extremely hard, and, you know, I don't play anyone different. I play everyone so hard because they play me really hard and I always have to be ready for it."

It is not the first time the two have publicly sparred. In 2013, Rolling Stone magazine published a conversation in which Williams was heard talking about an unnamed WTA player dating a guy with a "black heart" and who would not get invited to "cool parties."

It was generally assumed the player in question was Sharapova, who shot back with a reference to Williams then being involved with her coach, Patrick Moratoglou.

"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," Sharapova told press.

Tennis Channel reaction to the press conferences:

Sharapova has suggested that the rivalry has spurred the two players. "I think, to some extent, we have driven each other. Maybe that’s better than being friends," she wrote.

The background tension will likely heighten interest in their fourth-round encounter, though both played down their own positions. Williams noted that Sharapova had been back on tour for more than a year.

"Quite frankly, she's probably a favorite in this match," Williams said. "I just started. So I'm just really trying to get my bearings and trying to feel where I am."

Sharapova pointed to Williams' great career success. "I think there are a lot of things in Serena’s game that she’s done much better than I have," she said. "I think any time you play against Serena you know what you’re up against. You know the challenge that is upon you. Despite the record that I have against her, I always look forward to coming on the court and competing against the best player. I will look forward to doing that."

Sharapova is still at No. 30 in the rankings but has played better during the clay-court season. Williams is playing the first clay-court event of her comeback but appears to have improved with each round.

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