Sweep the cheat
Returning Russian hails ‘best feeling in world’
Bouchard calls for life ban on Russian star Sharapova
ISTANBUL: Eugenie Bouchard attacked Maria Sharapova as a “cheater” over her return from a drugs ban and suggested the Russian should be kicked out of tennis for life.
Bouchard said the Women’s Tennis Association was sending the wrong message in allowing the five-time Grand Slam-winner to come back from her 15-month suspension.
Russia’s Sharapova — the world’s highest-paid female athlete for more than a decade until last year, according to Forbes —won on Wednesday on her comeback after testing positive for meldonium.
“I don’t think that’s right. She’s a cheater and so to me, I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again,” Canada’s Bouchard, the world No.59, told TRT World in Istanbul.
“It’s so unfair to all the other players who do it the right way and are true. So I just think the WTA sends the wrong message to young kids: you know, cheat and we’ll welcome you back with open arms.
“So I don’t think that’s right. She’s not someone I can say I look up to any more because it’s definitely ruined it for me a little bit.”
Sharapova, 30, has pleaded that she had been taking meldonium for medical reasons for 10 years and didn’t know it had been added to the list of banned substances last year.
Wild-card Sharapova described her 7-5, 6-3 victory against Roberta Vinci at the Stuttgart Grand Prix as the “best feeling in the world”.
Sharapova, the former world No.1, brushed off a nervous start to eventually claim a convincing win on her controversial comeback.
“It’s the best feeling in the world to walk out [on court], it’s been a stage of mine since I was a young girl and it was very special,” said Sharapova who celebrated her win with a succession of double fist pumps and a broad smile before blowing kisses to all corners of the Porsche Arena. “I have been waiting for this a long time.” Sharapova fired 39 winners and 11 aces past 34-year-old Vinci.
The Russian star was scheduled to play compatriot Ekaterina Makarova in the second round late last night.
“It’s going to be tough, but every match I play now is important for me,” she said.
Sharapova received warm applause from the crowd, which included one fan who held up a Russian flag bearing the words ‘Welcome back Maria’.
Vinci had been one of the most out-spoken critics of Sharapova before the tie but she sought to draw a line under the controversy after her defeat.
“I lost. She had a wild card. She won. She’s happy, I’m so sad, but that’s it,” said the Italian. “I don’t want to think about the wild card. I’m done.”
Vinci added: “She’s a great player and although she was out for a long time, she’s not back from injury. She was really focused, really aggressive, she played well and deserved to win.”
Sharapova has also been granted wild cards into the Madrid and Rome tournaments and she will need similar generosity from Roland Garros if she is to make the main draw of the French Open, where she is a two-time champion.
On Wednesday, the French Tennis Federation repeated that they will not make a decision until next month.
“There is a date which has been fixed. There is no reason to make an exception for Maria Sharapova,” said FFT president Bernard Guidicelli.
“We will meet with the tournament director Guy Forget on May 15. The decision will be taken and communicated at 1900 [midnight Thai time] on Facebook on May 16.
“I know that there is strong expectation from the media and fans but we are not casting. This is not a rock-opera.”