Why Maria Sharapova Could End Her Epic Slump vs. Serena Williams

ByJIM CAPLE
January 29, 2015, 7:29 AM

— -- MELBOURNE, Australia -- Maria Sharapova defeated Serena Williams in the WTA Tour Championships final in Los Angeles on Nov. 15, 2004. George Bush had just been re-elected president. Barack Obama had just been elected to the U.S. Senate. And the Red Sox had just rallied to beat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series and swept the World Series to upend the most lopsided rivalry in sports other than the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals.

But another sports rivalry mismatch was just beginning.