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Maria Sharapova certain to get mixed response upon return

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The Australian12:00AM January 28, 2017

MARGIE MCDONALD

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash believes Maria Sharapova still has “a huge mark” against her tennis career and will not be received well by the greater tennis community when she makes her comeback in April.

Sharapova is eligible to play the next grand slam, the French Open (May 29-June 5). The five-time grand slam champion’s suspension for using the banned drug Meldonium expires at midnight on April 25, meaning she can play from Wednesday, April 26, exactly a week after her 30th birthday.

She has been given a wildcard into the Stuttgart WTA event, which starts on Monday April 24 and is sponsored by one of Sharapova’s backers, Porsche. But the Russian-born champion cannot be on-site at the tournament until April 26. She cannot practise, train or use the gym or any other player facilities. She simply turns up on the day and plays.

Cash doesn’t think Sharapova will receive much empathy from players, officials or the public.

“I don’t think she’ll be welcomed at all by the tennis community, particularly the inner circles of tennis,” Cash told The Weekend Australian at Melbourne Park this week.

“But I don’t think she really cares either. She’s already been her own woman — comes in and does her own thing. Serena (Williams) is like that too … does her business and leaves.

“I think there’s a huge mark on her career, her whole career, since she’s been taking a performance-enhancing drug for 10 years.

“It’s a huge slur. She admitted it and it’s almost as if her whole career is a lie. Going on the attack against the ITF (International Tennis Federation) just made the tennis community think she’s placing herself above the rules.”

Sharapova’s last tournament was the 2016 Australian Open, where she tested positive to meldonium — a drug which helps in blood circulation and is mostly used by cardiac patients and stroke victims. It was not placed on the banned list as performance enhancing until December 2015.

WADA rules are a mandatory four-year ban for performance enhancing drugs, unless extenuating circumstances or unintentional use can be proved. Sharapova accused the ITF of seeking four years. The ITF denied this.

She was banned for two years and then on appeal it was reduced to 15 months. Eighteen-time grand slam champion and one of the legends playing in Melbourne this week, Martina Navratilova, said Sharapova had served her time. “She will be welcomed back because she has done her time. That’s it. It’s not up to anyone else to comment about it,” she said.

When asked why the winner of 35 career titles, including five slams, would want to come back, Naratilova said: “I just answered your question.”

Former multi-grand slam champion in doubles Rennae Stubbs agreed it would probably be “a very quiet locker room” in Stuttgart. “It will be interesting. I really don’t know how she’ll be accepted by the players. Most may think ‘she’s just another player’ and won’t be worried about her.

“I’m sure there will be a lot of interest in how she plays. I’ve heard she’s been training really hard so fitness-wise she will be fine. But the (standard of) tennis will be interesting to see.

“The general public, in the majority, will be happy to see her back and will be supportive. She’s done her time and at the French Open, being a former champion, I’m expecting they will embrace her.”

Protected rankings are only given to players returning from injury, not drug bans. Sharapova will need a wildcard to play the French Open, Wimbledon and any other tournaments.

On the question of why someone who has made mjore than $US36 million ($47.91) in prizemoney would want to come back, Stubbs said the key was Sharapova’s inner spirit.

“I think it’s because she loves to compete. It’s who she is; it’s what drives her,” she said.

“Maria has been unbelievable competitor and that being the case, nobody wants to stop on other people’s terms. It comes down to her playing, and stopping playing, on her terms.

“She’s still young and sees what players in their mid-30s are doing — Venus and Serena spring right to mind there — and it may come down to her feeling like she still has two or three or more good years in her.

“She’s probably learned a lot about herself in the last year-and-a-half. And it’d be safe to say she’s noticed who has been with her and supported her.’’

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/tennis/maria-sharapova-certain-to-get-mixed-response-upon-return/news-story/628f1fc2ada07fb76c3ca2384bb3e1c8

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