More than 10 years after they first played each other, Maria Sharapova says her rivalry with Serena Williams remains as important as ever to her. Sharapova hasn't beaten Williams since 2004 and is 2-17 against the current world No. 1.
Williams most recently defeated Sharapova in the Australian Open final, 6-3, 7-6 (5). Last year, Williams beat Sharapova in Brisbane and Miami.
"She’s at the peak of her career. I am now No. 2 in the world," Sharapova told Reuters. "I feel like we’re still driven and hungry to be the best tennis players. I don’t think anyone in the tennis world believed that, in 10 years time, we would still be rivals. I think it's an incredible story."
The 27-year-old also said that she will not trade her Russian passport for one from the United States. Even though Sharapova moved to the U.S. when she was seven years old, she still wants to maintain her Russian citizenship.
"I would have if I wanted to but it’s never been actually a question in my family or in my team whether I wanted to change citizenships," the Russian told Reuters. "It is about the family environment, it is about the rich culture. Just life experiences that I look back too and I know that for so many years I was shaped into the individual I was from those experiences."