Still screaming: Maria Sharapova tell-all book claims Serena Williams called her a 'little bitch'

Maria Sharapova, right, was repeatedly smashed by tennis legend Serena Williams but claims it is the American who did the crying. Photo / Photosport

Maria Sharapova has traced her famously bitter rivalry with Serena Williams back to the 2004 Wimbledon final, and claims the American superstar referred to her as a "little b****".

Sharapova's autobiography Unstoppable: My life So Far, due for release, claims things went pear-shaped between the two after 17-year-old Sharapova had beaten Williams 6 - 1, 6 - 4 in that final.

"When the match was over, Serena hugged me," Sharapova writes, according to the Herald Sun.

"She said something like 'good job' and smiled. But she could not have been smiling on the inside.

"What I heard when I came in to the locker room was Serena Williams bawling. Guttural sobs. I got out as quickly as I could, but she knew I was there.

"People often wonder why I have had so much trouble beating Serena; my record against her is 2 and 19. To me, the answer was in this locker room.

"I think Serena hated me for being the skinny kid who beat her, against all odds, at Wimbledon. But mostly I think she hated me for hearing her cry.

"Not long after the tournament, I heard Serena told a friend - who then told me - 'I will never lose to that little b**** again'."

Sharapova added: "Serena and I should be friends; we have the same passion. To some extent, we have driven each other. Maybe that's what it takes.

"Who knows? Some day, when all this is in our past, maybe we'll become friends."