‘100 per cent hearsay’: Serena Williams slams Maria Sharapova book ahead of French Open clash

Sharapova, who Williams has beaten 18 times in a row, claimed in her recent memoir ‘Unstoppable’ that Serena “hated” her for hearing her cry after the 2004 Wimbledon final.

The fourth-round match at Roland Garros on Monday will be the first time the two have faced off since the American’s win in the 2016 Australian Open quarter-finals – Sharapova’s last match before serving a 15-month doping ban.

“I think the book was 100 per cent hearsay, at least all the stuff I read and the quotes that I read, which was a little bit disappointing,” said Williams after her 6-3, 6-4 third-round win over Julia Goerges.

“I have cried in the locker room many times after a loss, and that’s what I have seen a lot of people do. I think it’s normal.

“It’s a Wimbledon final, you know. So it’s just, like, I think it would be more shocking if I wasn’t in tears ...

“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’.”