French Open closes doors on Russian star Sharapova
Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli announced on Tuesday that the federation would not grant a wildcard entry into the French Open to Maria Sharapova.
The federation also declined to offer Sharapova, a two-time French Open singles champion, a wild card into the qualifying tournament.
Sharapova returned to the tour last month after a 15-month suspension for a doping violation. Her suspension, initially a twoyear ban, was reduced on appeal last year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which ruled that she had not doped intentionally but was not without fault.
Despite the opposition of some players, Sharapova has received main-draw wild-card entries into regular tour events in Stuttgart, Germany; Madrid; and Rome. But she now has no possibility of competing in the first Grand Slam tournament to be contested since her return.
The French Open, the world’s premier clay-court tournament, begins in Paris on May 28, but Sharapova had not acquired enough ranking points to earn direct entry into the event.
Giudicelli that the decision to deny Sharapova a place in the tournament had been a difficult one.
“While it’s true that the CAS has reduced her sanction, it is still a violation of the tennis anti-dop-French ing program,” Giudicelli said. “CAS reduced her sanction but also recognized that Maria was the only one responsible for her misfortune. It is not for me today to question that decision. I respect and we should respect the decision that was first taken by the International Tennis Federation’s independent tribunal and then considered on appeal by CAS.”
With a first-round victory in Rome against Christina McHale on Monday, Sharapova earned a spot in Wimbledon’s qualifying tournament. If she reaches the semifinals in Rome, she is expected to have enough ranking points for entry into Wimbledon’s main draw.