WTA chief hits out at the French

She has complied with the sanction imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. There are no grounds for any member of the tennis anti-doping program to penalise any player beyond the sanctions set forth in the final decisions resolving these matters, WTA chief executive Steve Simon said.

Paris, May 17: The head of women’s tennis on Wednesday attacked the French tennis federation’s refusal to grant Maria Sharapova a wildcard for the French Open as “groundless”.

WTA chief executive Steve Simon took issue with the FFT’s hard line stance on the two-time French Open champion in a strongly worded statement.

Whilst acknowledging that wildcards were granted at a tournament’s discretion, Simon said, “What I do not agree with is the basis put forward by the FFT for their decision with respect to Maria Sharapova. She has complied with the sanction imposed by CAS (the Court of Arbitration for Sport). The tennis antidoping program (TADP) is a uniform effort supported by the Grand Slams, WTA, ITF and ATP.

“There are no grounds for any member of the TADP to penalise any player beyond the sanctions set forth in the final decisions resolving these matters,” he added.

French Open tournament director Guy Forget had earlier said the decision over whether Sharapova would receive a wild card was going to be “very controversial”.