Maria Sharapova tells USA TODAY Sports of top-ranked female player Serena Williams "on the court I have the utmost respect for her... but it's different" when it comes to her off the court behavior.

"I don't know what it is," Sharapova added. "Even though tennis is such a huge part of our lives, at the end it's such a small part of our lives, and I value so many more important things in my life than just the sport."

Williams and Sharapova have publicly bickered since back in June when Williams went on the attack in a Rolling Stone article where she blasted Sharapova in a veiled jab about her "black-heart" boyfriend, 22-year-old Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov.

Sharapova later retorted by labeling Williams a "home wrecker" because of her rumored relationship with her coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who was not yet divorced.

USA TODAY adds that Sharapova later concedes in the article that her comments "had perhaps not been her classiest decision."

Sharapova, who is still rehabilitating from a shoulder injury, hasn't beaten the top-ranked Williams in almost ten years.