British tennis is divided on Maria
WIMBLEDON and the LTA look set to be on opposite sides of the Maria Sharapova debate after her exclusion from Roland Garros.
The Russian has been planning her next moves after being excluded from the French Open and losing in Tuesday’s second round of the Italian Open.
An announcement is expected this week that she will accept an invitation to play in Birmingham’s Aegon Classic, owned and run by the LTA, between Paris and Wimbledon. It could come as early as today and it may even be part of a two-year deal brokered by outgoing chief executive Michael Downey, to the disapproval of some staff.
Wimbledon, however,, are set to take the opposite tack and refuse any request est from her to be given a wildcard into their main draw. Sharapova has already earned her right to play in the qualifying tournament by acquiring enough points since her comeback from a 15-month ban for violatlating doping rules.
Tim Henman, chairman of the relevant committee at SW19, is said by well-placed sources to be adamant that she should not receive a wildcard. He did not respond to requests for comment yesterday.
The official position of the All England Club, who channel their profits into the British game via the LTA every year, remains that they will not make a decision until the committee meets on June 20.
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said: ‘I would hope they would stay strong and say, “No, sorry, you have got to go through and play qualifying”.
‘I certainly think the All England Club need to stand up and take a stance about this.’
Sharapova, who yesterday posted a melodramatic statement alluding to ‘games’ being played in this saga, now has a much clearer idea of her itinerary, assuming she recovers from the thigh injury she suffered in Rome. The WTA Ricoh Open in Holland have invited her ‘ with pleasure’ to play at the beginning of June. Then comes the Aegon Classic at the Edgbaston Priory Club and Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton.
As is now becoming a pattern, smaller events like Birmingham which exist on much tighter marginsgins are proving more accommodmodating than the stately, wewealthy Grand Slams. Wimbledon will say wwhat the LTA does is nnone of their business bbecause, unlike in FFrance, the national Grand Slam and ggoverning body are seseparate entities. The reareality, though, is that the AllA England Club views itself as the custodian of all that happens in the grass- court season. They could kick up a fuss but are electing not to.
Sharapova, who dodged the media on Tuesday night, yesterday released a defiant missive in response to the decision by the French federation to roll up the red carpet that had hitherto been forthcoming. There was a hint of victimhood involved again.
‘If this is what it takes to rise up again then I am in it all the way, every day,’ she said. ‘ No words, games or actions will ever stop me from reaching my own dreams. And I have many.’
Not for the first time she found herself with a willing ally in WTA Tour chief executive Steve Simon, who was critical of the French decision. The WTA is a player members’ organisation and Simon is surely testing the patience of the large majority of those he serves with his devotion to the unpopular Sharapova and her cause.
Having acknowledged that wildcards are allocated at the sole discretion of individual tournaments, he said: ‘What I do not agree with is the basis put forward by the FFT (French) for their decision. She has complied with the sanction imposed by CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). There are no grounds for any member of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme to penalise any player beyond the sanctions set forth in final decisions involving these matters.’
Yet, while the French have made a stand, they are only exercising their right to dole out invitations as they see fit. They are not obliged to hand out wildcards to anyone. The most questionable aspect of the Sharapova decision was the simultaneous award of a wildcard to men’s player Constant Lestienne, who is coming back from a ban for betting on matches.
But by abandoning any neutrality on the issue, Simon is clearly upsetting players below the superstar bracket. American Nicole Gibbs, one of the more influential members of the locker room, tweeted his words with the comment, ‘Seriously?’.
Pam Shriver, the former doubles champion, seemed to have a more acute understanding of the mood than the WTA supremo.
‘It has to be a popular decision in the women’s locker room,’ she told ESPN in reference to the French non-invitation. ‘So many players who are admired and looked up to have spoken out against Sharap- ova. The feeling has to be that we are not going to grant special privileges to anyone, no matter how successful they have been.
‘She (Sharapova) needs to take a step back and reconcile that her return to major tennis is going to have to wait and not be bitter about it.’
Cash also praised the French federation’s decision to snub Sharapova, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘Well done to them. I think it is absolutely the correct decision.
‘She certainly should not be getting benefits from the fact that she got caught using an illegal drug.’
With Sharapova now surely set for Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton, the All England Club will have to focus on how the quaint outground will cope. A spokesman refused to say whether a temporary stand will be built for the first time. Spectator tickets, restricted to 1,000 per day at £5 each, will not be sold by Wimbledon direct but are expected to go on the market via Ticketmaster.