Wimbledon Women's Singles Semis (Photo : Reuters)
A match that features two of the most accomplished female netters in the world in the past 10 years should always be a thrilling one to watch. However, with the kind of dominance Serena Williams demonstrated over Maria Sharapova in the last 11 years, it's hard to argue against the Patrick Mouratoglou's claim that the Russian hasn't been much of a rival to Serena.
For the 20th time in their sure-fire Hall of Fame careers, Williams and Sharapova will play each other with a seat in the Wimbledon finals at stake. For Sharapova, a victory against Williams on Thursday will mark the end of a 16-losing skid that dates back to 2005 Australian Open semifinal.
On the other hand, another win by Williams will prolong the Sharapova's misery and further prove Mouratoglou's claim that she is simply unrivalled against the Russian.
Mouratoglou, who is considered the man behind Williams' late career renaissance, believed Sharapova has all the qualities of a great champion, but he has no doubt that her skills are inferior to Williams and his ward's quarterfinal opponent Victoria Azarenka.
"She does not have a mental block against Serena. Serena simply plays tennis much better than she does. For me, (Victoria) Azarenka is much better than Sharapova. There's no discussion. Sharapova is a great champion. She has great qualities. She fights incredibly and has tremendous mental strength. But at some stage, her level of play hits a ceiling."
Sharapova, meanwhile, is convinced that she will come in as the underdog in her semifinal showdown with Williams. Then again, the Russian beauty isn't going to wave the white flag right away, promising to put up a strong fight against the top-seeded American.
"There are definitely no secrets between each other's games," Sharapova told reported via the Telegraph. "I haven't had great success against her. I would love to change that around."
Maria Sharapova vs. Serena Williams (head to head stats) will begin at 10 a.m (US EST) live on ESPN and ESPN Watch. The match can also be watched on Sports Stream, while updates, scores and commentaries can be followed on ESPN Courtcast.
