Sharapova sideswipe at Williams over controversial remarks

Earlier this week, Williams had to apologize for comments she made to Rolling Stone magazine over the rape of a 16-year-old girl by two high school American football players in Ohio, kazinform has learnt from CNN.

Eyebrows were also raised in the same article over a passage which appeared to reference Sharapova.

It accused an unnamed player of being "boring" and made unflattering remarks about her choice of boyfriend. Sharapova is dating Bulgarian tennis player Grigo Dimitrov.

Sharapova, the third seed at Wimbledon and bidding for her first title at SW19 since 2004, used the pre-tournament media conference to hit back.

"We have a tremendous amount of respect for what we do on the court. I just think she should be talking about her accomplishments, her achievements, rather than everything else that's just getting attention and controversy,' the Russian was quoted by the UK's Press Association.

"If she wants to talk about something personal, maybe she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids.

"(She should) talk about other things, but not draw attention to other things. She has so much in her life, many positives, and I think that's what it should be about."

16-time grand slam winner Williams is reportedly in a relationship with her French coach Patrick Mouratoglou, but neither has spoken publicly about it.

She has won three of last four grand slams under his guidance, the latest at the French Open where she beat defending champion Sharapova in a hard-fought final in Paris.

On Tuesday, Williams came under fire, particularly on Twitter and other social media, when her reported remarks to Rolling Stone about the rape were made public on its website.

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