National Post (National Edition)
Sharapova’s return stirs things up
EYEBROWS RAISED AS TOURNEYS OFFER UNRANKED STAR WILD-CARD ENTRY
Ayear after the news of her positive doping test shook the BNP Paribas Open, Maria Sharapova again dominated conversation here in absentia.
Last March, on the eve of this tournament, Sharapova announced she had tested positive for the recently banned substance meldonium, an over-the-counter cardiac supplement for which hundreds of Russian athletes also tested positive.
After her two-year suspension by the International Tennis Federation was reduced to 15 months, Sharapova is set to return to tour next month.
She has no ranking but has secured three wild-card entries for clay court events in Stuttgart, Germany, Madrid and Rome. The next two Grand Slam events, the French Open and Wimbledon, have yet to reach any decision on wild cards for Sharapova, who is a past champion of both tournaments.
Among tennis’ top players and executives, opinions on Sharapova’s exemptions were a mix of cautious and conflicted.
Second-ranked Angelique Kerber, who will regain the No. 1 ranking from Serena Williams at the conclusion of this tournament, was taken aback by the arrangement made for Sharapova to return in Stuttgart despite her ban expiring on a Wednesday, two days after the tournament’s main draw begins.
“This is, all over, a strange situation,” Kerber said. “I don’t know what to say about this because it’s a little bit strange for the other players that somebody can just walk on site Wednesday and play Wednesday.”
Kerber, rarely outspoken, is a surprising voice of dissent regarding the Stuttgart event, where she is defending champion. She and Sharapova are sponsored by Porsche, the tournament’s title sponsor. Kerber lamented that a wild card for Sharapova would remove an opportunity for a German player to play in her country’s largest WTA event.
Steve Simon, the chief executive of the WTA, said tournaments should feel free to welcome back Sharapova, who will be a player in good standing after her ban lapses. The ITF and the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled she had unintentionally committed a doping infraction after failing to keep upto-date on the World AntiDoping Agency’s prohibited list.
“I think it’s really clear. She’s served her suspension, she’s eligible to play, and we welcome her back,” Simon said.
He rebutted the notion that there was any sort of star treatment for Sharapova.
“Maria’s had anything but the red carpet,” he said. “She served a significant suspension for this issue, and again you’ve seen the reasons and you know what they are. All we’ve said is, ‘Yeah, she’s available to play.’ Her wild cards are based on what she’s earned through her career, and the tournaments are making their decisions at their sole discretion.”
When asked about Sharapova last week in an interview with The Times of London, Andy Murray, the top-ranked men’s player, said, “I think you should really have to work your way back.”
On Wednesday, he further outlined many difficulties of Sharapova’s case, especially given that the logistics of accommodating a star like her could overwhelm the lowestlevel events.
“The tournaments are well within their rights to give a wild card. There’s nothing saying that they can’t,” Murray said. “There’s no rule in place, so the tournaments are going to do what they think is best for their event. But should you get a wild card into every event when you come back? I’m not sure about that. That’s something that maybe should be looked at.”
Tennis has never had to deal with such a highly ranked and decorated singles player returning from a doping suspension with no ranking. Sharapova, a fivetime Grand Slam champion, was ranked in the top 10 at the time her violation was announced. Marin Cilic was ranked 11th when he tested positive for a banned substance in 2013, but when he returned that year after his suspension was reduced to four months, he was still in the top 50 and did not need wild cards to enter tournaments.
Svetlana Kuznetsova, a fellow Russian who has been one of Sharapova’s more vocal supporters, said Sharapova’s comeback would be “great for tennis” but acknowledged that the wild-card issue was complex.
“I’ve been supportive to her because I don’t think this thing was really that serious,” Kuznetsova said.
She added: “I understand, because if we talk about cheaters, people who cheat, you would say, ‘Why would cheaters get a wild card?’ But then if there is some mistake, you know, it’s a little bit of a different story. But it’s really hard to say. I understand all the sides.”