Hostility to Sharapova ‘her own fault’
MARIA Sharapova may now have the status as the most hated sports person in the world, but Marina Erakovic says she’s brought all of this on herself.
Players have been lining up to stick the boot into Sharapova while she served a 15-month ban for taking meldonium at last year’s Australian Open, shortly after is was included on the list of banned substances.
She was controversially given a wildcard for the current WTA tournament in Stuttgart, will get them for Madrid and Rome and is after one for next month’s Roland Garros.
In the women’s locker room Sharapova has few friends and the New Zealand No 1, who has been on the professional circuit for 11 years, says she’s never had and couldn’t rotate it properly. It started at Indian Wells and came on again in Miami. In Miami I got a viral infection and I’ve also been having lower back issues.
‘‘I never like to go on about that sort of stuff, but it’s the truth.
‘‘I was patching things up then trying to play, so I decided to come home early to recover.
‘‘It’s good that I’m main draw a conversation with the Russian.
Canadian Eugene Bouchard last week labelled Sharapova a ‘cheater’ who shouldn’t be allowed back in the game, while for the French, but not that I have to play qualifying for Wimbledon, but that’s the way it is.’’
Erakovic plans to play three small grass court Challenger level tournaments in between French Open and Wimbledon, in Surbiton, Manchester and Ilkley and then Wimbledon qualifying.
Being ranked 104 means Erakovic has to be more creative Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska and even Jo-Wilfried Tsonga have also spoken out against her.
The attacks on Sharapova have come when she’s at her most vulnerable and lowest point of her career, but Erakovic she’s getting what she deserves.
‘‘The current situation with the players is Maria’s own fault,’’ Erakovic said.
‘‘She’s put herself in this situation and she’s said that this is how she wants to approach tennis, to do her own thing, have no contact with anyone and that’s her choice.
‘‘I’ve never had any involvement with her, or even had a conversation with her. So I don’t know her personally.’’
Like other players, Erakovic doesn’t believe it’s right that Sharapova has been given wildcards to tournaments, but with her schedule, looking for WTA tournaments where she has a better chance of making the main draw and mixing it up with ITF events. ‘‘It’s a position that I haven’t been in for a while,’’ she said. ‘‘I’m not getting any younger, but I know that I play good tennis and I’ve been there before. It’s like any job, you have tough times and better times and understands why tournament directors have been offering them to her, because regardless of what people think of her, they’ll pay good money to see her play.
‘‘If it was any other player who hasn’t been a past champion, they’d start from the beginning,’’ Erakovic said.
‘‘It would have been a character builder and I think people would have a lot more respect for her if she’d done that, but that’s not the case.
‘‘Tennis is a business and Maria Sharapova will sell tickets and that’s the bottom line.’’
ASB Classic tournament directer Karl Budge told Fairfax in March that he wants Sharapova at next year’s event and had a meeting with her people in America last month.
Those talks will continue at the upcoming French Open and Wimbledon. it’s a matter of ploughing through it and keep playing.’’
She has earned US$61,581 in prize money this year but out of this she has to pay for her travel, plus that of her coach, Wesley Whitehouse, as well as his salary and expenses.
‘‘A couple of good results last year helped me to fund some of my stuff, but it has been tough.’’