THE WOMEN’S TENNIS Association (WTA) have criticised the decision not to give two-time winner Maria Sharapova a wild card to this year’s event.
Ranked too low to gain direct entry after a 15-month drugs ban, the Russian was refused a wild card entry on the basis that the French Tennis Federation (FFT) had a “mission to protect the high standards” of tennis.
“There can be a wildcard for the return from injuries – there cannot be a wildcard for the return from doping.”
However, the move to snub the two-time winner has disappointed the WTA.
“I don’t agree with the basis for their decision. She has complied with the sanction,” said chief executive Steve Simon.
“There are no grounds to penalise any player beyond the sanctions set forth in the final decisions resolving these matters.”
Bravo Roland-Garros
@Barry Evans: The ITF leading by example. The WTA are struggling so no surprise in their stance.
@Barry Evans: she’s done her time and she’s hardly the first person to take sports- enhancing drugs. Tennis, football and cycling are full of it, yet very few are caught.
@Gavin Scott: she hasn’t the ranking to qualify..so why should she get a wild card..her fault that she had to serve the ban in the first place and now that her ranking has dropped you think she should be given a free pass back in to make wads of cash?
Seriously??
Glad to see she won’t be at Roland Garros and hope same applies re Wimbledon
She’ll be at Wimbledon.
@Ardmore02: Why are u so sure she’ll be at Wimbledon?
@John Ryan: Already confirmed
@John Ryan: She has enough ranking points to get into the qualifiers even if she doesn’t get a wildcard so she should still make it if she stays fit.
@John Ryan: She will be playing in the Qualifiers, they also effectively refused her a wildcard but cannot stop her playing in the Qualifiers as her ranking is now high enough to play in them.
@Ardmore02: A druggie among those snobs,not a chance.
Delighted for her
Great to see the beautiful Maria back on court. The greatest female tennis player ever on her day. Sadly her career was blighted by the barbs of other jealous women who simply could not compete with her.
@Jack Cassady: What are you on about, it’s easy to be the good when you’re a drug cheat, plenty of tennis players better than her who don’t cheat.
Should have been banned for life.
Well done to them for standing up against this bullshit. She should be banned for life but instead is getting a free ride in place of someone deserving who didn’t cheat.
Why are people so insensef
@Nollaig Elliot: why are people so aggravated over this? She has served her ban. Forgiveness is a great thing we have as humans.
@Nollaig Elliot: Agreed but why should she get a wild card at the expense of someone who has worked hard and played clean tennis.
She earned her place in the Wimbledon Qualifiers, fair enough.
The general feeling is that the ban was very lenient. She clearly was lying when she said the stimulant was for her asthma. People see thru that and would be more compassionate had she just been straight up and honest.
@Martin Fahy: I agree with everything you said there Martin. I just don’t understand the ill feelings people have for her now. Fair enough she cocked up, got caught and did her time. Ffs get over it I teckon
@Nollaig Elliot:
I hate drugs in sport and I would support far more severe sanctions.
I don’t really care about her but allowing drug cheats to resume their lucrative careers after short bans is too poor a deterrent.
The rewards from using PEDs far outweigh the risks of being caught.
Lifetime bans should apply in almost all circumstances in my opinion.
@Gagsy 99:
Having said all that I expect I would very much enjoy an intimate physical relationship with her.
@Gagsy 99: too noisy gagsy!!!
@Nollaig Elliot: she didn’t cock up…. She cheated.
@Gagsy 99: Haha. You definitely would. You wouldn’t be too quick to raise you’re anti-drug issues with her then. Well not before hand anyway.
@TeaRex: Second chances per say.?
@Nollaig Elliot: She has a second chance, she’s still playing, this is just not giving her special treatment. Just for example, when she got a wild card into Rome, it meant one of the Italian players didn’t get that Wild Card slot, worse it she was retiring and was denied a chance for one final home competition as Sharapova got it instead.
Not too mention what went on when she returned and managed to get the competition to delay her round until her ban had ended.
@Nollaig Elliot: murderers do their time but the victims and their families suffer indefinitely.
Great to see the drugs cheat not taking the place of a clean player
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Sharapova, such a fake person. Hard to like her.
Take your cheating grunting ass else-place, Vamos Arantxa !