STAR SLAMS SHARAPOVA WILDCARD
THERE is widespread unhappiness in the women’s locker room at the decision to grant Maria Sharapova a wildcard into the Stuttgart tournament next month, according to one of the tour’s leading players. World No 4 Dominika Cibulkova, the former Australian Open finalist, last night criticised the move to allow the Russian to play in the Porsche Grand Prix despite Sharapova being banned until the Wednesday of the event. She went further than most players have been prepared to and said her view is shared by peers she has talked to. ‘I don’t think it’s right but what can we do about it? She’s still banned but she can come on site on Wednesday, that’s pretty strange,’ said the Slovak, who is at the Miami Open. ‘For me it’s not OK and I spoke to some other players and nobody is OK with it, but it’s not up to us. All the people who are taking care of these things should know the rule and do the right thing.’ Cibulkova believes Sharapova should have come back from her 15-month suspension by playing smaller events on the bottom tier of the tour. ‘It’s not about her, but everyone who was doping should start from zero,’ she said. Neither the German event nor Sharapova — who was found by the Court of Arbitration for Sport not to have intentionally doped after meldonium was outlawed prior to last year’s Australian Open — are not in breach of the rules regarding wildcards. However, those regulations are expected to be reviewed. Jo Konta was less forthcoming on the matter, despite having been beaten by Sharapova at Wimbledon 2015 where, it was subsequently revealed, the Russian had taken meldonium on six days of the same week. British No 1 Konta admitted she was aware of that but declined to say much more, stating: ‘It’s not an incredibly simple thing to decide on. I don’t have much of an opinion.’ Konta is the leading British player at the Miami Open in the absence of Andy Murray, who has pulled out with an elbow injury that is said to be down to wear and tear. Murray is still in Miami but is believed to be suffering with a virus and on Monday night he was unable to attend a meeting of the ATP Player Council, of which he is a member. He is expected to return home this week. Konta reached the quarterfinal in Miami last year and put up a good challenge to eventual winner Victoria Azarenka, who was in prime form in that period. ‘She was the best player in the world at the time so it was a great experience for me,’ said Konta.