LTA put Maria money ahead of any morality

THE Lawn Tennis Association last night admitted that it has not questioned the morality of giving doping offender Maria Sharapova a wildcard into its pre-Wimbledon event in Birmingham.

An internal memo sent to stakeholders, seen by Sportsmail, admits that financial considerations have superseded any worries about giving a helping hand to someone coming back from a 15-month ban.

It is understood that chief executive Michael Downey, who is soon to leave his post and return home to Canada, spent yesterday afternoon selling the idea to the main LTA council.

Later, Downey sent around a circular to stakeholders such as

Wimbledon — who are set to deny Sharapova a main-draw wildcard — explaining the negotiation with the Russian’s agent, Max Eisenbud. ‘Some may question the moral compass of this decision. We do not,’ he admitted frankly. ‘She made a mistake that we do not condone. She has paid the price through her 15-month ban and now can return to action. We did not take this decision lightly, but — like all other WTA events before ours — have granted her a wildcard so our Birmingham event can benefit British fans who can take in her matches on home soil. An important consequence of this decision will be the generation of more funds, which we will redeploy into our mission of getting more people to play tennis more often.’ Downey’s enthusiasm for welcoming Sharapova — who was denied any sort of wildcard by the French Open — is not shared by some at the LTA, among them Fed Cup captain Anne Keothavong. The governing body insist there is a two-year commitment from Sharapova, although it does not appear she has signed a contract. ‘When we were asked by her agent to provide a wildcard,’ said Downey, ‘we requested a twoyear commitment because we wanted to maximise her appeal.’