Maria Sharapova, 39, has shared her thoughts on the greatest female tennis player in history and openly discussed her rivalry with Serena Williams, 44, with whom she shared the court for 15 years. The conversation took place during a debate with John McEnroe, 67, the former world No. 1 tennis player.

Sharapova, who holds 36 WTA titles, including five Grand Slams, one of which was won against Romania's Simona Halep at Roland Garros in 2014, has had 22 direct encounters with Williams over 15 years in the WTA circuit.

When asked by McEnroe about the greatest female tennis player, Sharapova didn't hesitate to name Williams, who is just one Grand Slam title away from Margaret Court's record of 24, set in 1973.

"From the moment she beat me and water started dripping from my head to the end, she made me dust many times," Sharapova said during the debate, which took place in the Rushmore Podcast, eliciting laughter from the American legend.

The numbers support Sharapova's statement. She won only two out of the 22 matches played against Williams, from the 2004 Miami Open to the 2019 US Open. Her victories came in the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open in 2004.

Sharapova also highlighted Williams' precision at the service, noting that it was robotic and always in the same spot, making it difficult to find a weakness in their matches.