Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Tough-as-nails competitor Maria Sharapova can only shake her head when she hears her rivals giving credit to another player – especially if the player in question happens to be Serena Williams.

The injured Sharapova, who reached the weekend semi-finals at the WTA Finals in Singapore as she competes in her first full matches since losing to Williams in a Wimbledon semi-final four months ago, said she just cannot fathom the attitude of some of the other competitors.

She said she was in shock when players said they hoped that Williams would win the calendar-year grand slam – which she failed to do as she lost a US Open semi-final to Italy’s Roberta Vinci.

“I was very surprised that a lot of players said, ‘I do hope she achieves it,” Sharapova told Singapore’s Strait Times. “(It) was surprising because I knew these players were going to be in the draw, so it was as if, I felt like, why are they even playing. Maybe that’s just the competitor in me.”

Sharapova is a heated rival of Williams, with no love lost between the pair of tennis divas. Williams, last seen partying in Hollywood, gave up her season in tears shortly after losing to Vinci and being denied her grand slam dream.

New WTA boss Steve Simon looks like he won’t be tolerating that kind of cavalier attitude from top names going forward, with rumors of new regulations and a calendar shakeup in the works to prevent another Williams year-end defection from a showcase event.

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.