India, Aug. 24 -- Serena Williams was given the responsibility of introducing former rival Maria Sharapova for her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday night. The American emerged from behind the stage, surprising everyone, calling Sharapova a 'former rival, former fan and forever friend'.

Speaking on the stage, Serena said, "In 2004, when Maria was just 17 years old, she stunned the world and won Wimbledon. To this day, she calls it the highlight of her career. Today, I call it one of my hardest losses. The match didn't just make her a champion. It actually made her a star and launched one of the most talked about and controversial rivalries in tennis."

"For more than a decade and a half, every time we took ...