Serena Williams ready for mother-of-all battles with Maria Sharapova

The 28th seed against a player ranked 451 in the world would not usually command a place on the prestigious Philippe-Chatrier Court at Roland Garros.

But today the French Open will stage a grudge match the like of which grand slam tennis has not seen in a long time.

Maria Sharapova faces Serena Williams for the first time since the 2016 Australian Open, which was the Russian’s last game before a 15-month doping ban.