WILL DOPER MARIA GET WIMBLEDON WILDCARD?
AN exclamation mark concluded the tweeted announcement by the Italian Open yesterday, as it became the latest tennis event to excitedly grant Maria Sharapova a wildcard.
Rome joins the WTA events in Madrid and Stuttgart in welcoming back with open arms a player who, on April 26, is allowed to return to the sport after a 15-month ban for doping offences.
With the French Open yet to declare its hand but likely to follow suit, it adds to the debate about what Wimbledon will do if it is forced to make a similar decision.
Andy Murray — who is into the last eight of the Dubai Championships — yesterday stuck to his usual hardline stance on doping matters by saying, in general terms, that offenders should not be offered a helping hand rebuilding their ranking.
He told The Times: ‘I think you should really have to work your way back.’ Wimbledon’s long- stated position is they will wait and see what happens after Sharapova’s comeback before making a decision and, in truth, there is no hurry. By the time the entry deadline closes six weeks prior to Wimbledon, she may have earned enough ranking points to be an automatic entry into the main draw, thus negating any need for a wildcard debate. However, as several All England Club sources have said, if she falls short, it will present a decision of unusual complexity at Wimbledon.
Unless she completely flops on her return, Sharapova will, at least, be high enough ranked to play in the qualifying event at Roehampton’s Bank of England sports ground the week before.
If the 2004 champion is not placed in the main draw, her participation in the preliminary tournament could produce something of a logistical nightmare.
Uniquely among the four Grand Slams, Wimbledon qualifying takes place off the main site. For all its charms, Roehampton is ill-equipped to cope with the circus that would accompany the appearance of Sharapova.
It is already popular enough with a crowd who annually enjoy what is one of London’s great free sporting shows. Roehampton, which does not even have stands, would also need to deal with a huge increase in media, who are currently catered for in two small, temporary huts.
These logistical issues may dampen enthusiasm at the All England Club about taking a stand over Sharapova.
It will also focus minds on the long-term ambition of bringing the qualifying event on site when the Club take control, in the next 25 years, of the Wimbledon Park golf course across the road.
At least Wimbledon will not engage in the neartriumphalist tone of tournaments gleefully parading Sharapova in their starting field, which has been one of the more unseemly aspects of her comeback.
In Dubai, Murray raced to a 6-2, 6-0 win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez to set up a quarter-final against Phillip Kohlschreiber. Dan Evans gave No 4 seed Gael Monfils a scare but lost in the second round 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal won their first-round matches in the ATP event in Acapulco, Mexico, but Kyle Edmund lost against American Sam Querrey.