"We wish you were still on tour" - When Venus Williams explained MET Gala picture with Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova 

Venus Williams once claimed that Serena Williams and herself were talking about Maria Sharapova a day before meeting her at the Met Gala.

The trio made headlines by posing together for a picture at the Met Gala in 2021. Sharapova and the Williams sisters were all fierce competitors and the image of them went viral.

Venus Williams explained the backstory behind the picture later that year, claiming that she and Serena Williams were talking about Mara Sharapova before the Met Gala and wished that she was still playing. They said the same to the five-time Grand Slam champion when they met her.

"First of all, Serena and I were talking about Maria the day before," Venus Williams said. "We were walking and we were like, ‘We wish Maria was still playing,’ and we saw her [at the Met Gala] and we both told her separately, ‘We were just talking about you yesterday. We wish you were still on tour.'"

Williams also claimed that the trio were very happy to see one another. The American added that she loved the Russian and even urged her to consider coming out of retirement (Sharapova retired in 2020).

“We were so happy to see each other. There was laughing, there were stories and there was a photo. So the back story is that even though us players compete really hard on the court for years, we still respect and love each other. I love Maria, and if you want to come back Maria, we’ve asked you to come and do it," Venus Williams said.

Maria Sharapova's record against Venus and Serena Williams

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova after their match at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships

Maria Sharapova made her professional debut in the early 2000s when the Williams sisters were in their prime. She locked horns with Serena Williams on 22 occasions, with the American leading 20-2 in the head-to-head.

The pair met in four Grand Slam finals, with Williams coming out on top in three of those. The only time Sharapova beat Williams in a Grand Slam final was a 6-1, 6-4 win at Wimbledon in 2004.

The last meeting between the two came in the first round of the 2019 US Open, with Serena Williams winning 6-1, 6-1.

Sharapova fared much better against Venus Williams, winning five out of their eight meetings. They faced each other thrice in Grand Slams but never locked horns in a Major final. The last match between the two came in the third round of the 2013 Australian Open, with Sharapova winning 6-1, 6-3.