Sharapova isn’t fazed by criticism from fellow players
MARIA SHARAPOVA insists she had no interest in improving relations with her fellow players after there was more controversy on the day of her return following the end of her 15-month doping ban.
Sharapova’s 7-5, 6-3 victory over Italy’s Roberta Vinci here in the first round of the Stuttgart Grand Prix was in part overshadowed by a stinging assessment from
Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, who called the Russian “a cheater” and said she should have been banned for life. Sharapova (right) tested positive at the 2016 Australian Open for meldonium, a medication the former world No1 had been taking within the rules but which was then reclassified as a banned drug. The Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her ban to 15 months, while finding she was not an “intentional doper”.
Despite that, Sharapova’s return has angered some other players, who say that giving wild cards to someone who has fallen foul of the doping regulations sends out the wrong message. Those comments do not concern Sharapova, who said: “I have a great amount of friends that I speak to. Those friendships really matter to me.”
Sharapova, who was due to play Ekaterina Makarova in the second round this afternoon, is not on the list of automatic French Open entries because she does not have a world ranking. The tournament will announce its wild cards on
May 16, less than a fortnight before play begins at Roland Garros.
Asked if she would be prepared to play in the qualifying tournament for the French Open or Wimbledon, Sharapova said: “If I get the opportunity then I will take it.” NEW ZEALAND flanker Jerome Kaino faces a race against time to be ready for the start of the Test series against the Lions this summer after electing to have surgery on his knee.
The dual World Cup winner suffered a meniscus tear playing for the Auckland Blues two weeks ago and will have an operation tomorrow.
Blues assistant coach Steve Jackson said the 34-year-old would be sidelined for four-to-six weeks but was confident he would have time to prove his fitness before the First Test on June 24. “He was feeling it and it was locking up on him,” said Jackson.
“He’ll get his feet up and normally you come back quick from those sorts of operations. I’m pretty sure he’ll be fine for the Lions tour.”