Doping Again !

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Doping Again !

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I agree.

As does Andy.

And I respect Venus Williams for being gracious but.....

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

+1 from me too.
If Wimbledon give her any sort of a WC, I'm probably going to just give up on women's tennis; at least until she's gone. It's all got too dispiriting.
I have this horrible vision that she'll come back, do well, meet Serena in a big match, beat her for the first time in decades, and the global media and fandom will essentially anoint her queen of the world, with narry a mention of all her mendacity.
Well done to Andy & Caro Woz for standing up to be counted.

the addict · Tennis legend

AliBlahBlah wrote:
+1 from me too.
If Wimbledon give her any sort of a WC, I'm probably going to just give up on women's tennis; at least until she's gone. It's all got too dispiriting.
I have this horrible vision that she'll come back, do well, meet Serena in a big match, beat her for the first time in decades, and the global media and fandom will essentially anoint her queen of the world, with narry a mention of all her mendacity.
Well done to Andy & Caro Woz for standing up to be counted.

I also think it is disgraceful that she should get any wild cards. She was banned, she has done her time, now she has to earn her place back in the tournaments. And if it means entering a few $15k or $25k's to get started, then so be it. Why should she take the WC's from other players, who deserve the chance. I'm sure we would all condemn her if she took a WC at Wimbledon and thus denied one of our girls

indiana · Tennis legend

What the French Open and Wimbledon ( if she still needs a MD one by its entry date ) do re WCs is going to be very interesting. And very possibly dispiriting to many.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Although it may be morally wrong financially it is a no brainer for WTA events to issue a wildcard to her. The interest from the media will be immense to start with and no doubt there will be financial benefits from offering the wildcard i.e increased media coverage

indiana · Tennis legend

paulisi wrote:
Although it may be morally wrong financially it is a no brainer for WTA events to issue a wildcard to her. The interest from the media will be immense to start with and no doubt there will be financial benefits from offering the wildcard i.e increased media coverage

What is sooo wrong is the WTA so glorifying her

The Slams won't really even have the financial excuse.

Etienne · Club Coach

I've been told elsewhere that by WTA rules, the tournaments are obliged to give her a WC if she requests one as a former Grand Slam singles champion (though there must be limitations on that, I'm not sure Chris Evert could get a WC for Stuttgart if she asked).

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

I still think the part that amazes me the most is that she can enter a tournament that starts while her ban is still in place and the WTA are literally allowing her to join in half way through. Surely if a player is banned on the date the tournament starts, then they should not be allowed to participate at all. You would have thought that a player is deemed to have "entered a tournament" on the date they sign in for entry. If that is the case, then Sharapova is being allowed to "enter a tournament" whilst still banned. The WTA is being utterly gutless in this regard and showing no respect to the other players.

I understand the WC and marketing perspective from the tournament organizers and sponsors point of view but that is a mute point after considering the above.

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

I've looked back to 2006; I can't find that any 1st round main draw match has ever been played on the Wednesday in Stuttgart.
Don't do drugs, kids.
Unless, erm, you want preferrential treatment?

indiana · Tennis legend

Maria will of course have a R1 opponent, no doubt some minor entity, who will of course have to wait around until Wednesday for her R1 match and then if she beats the great one have a more stacked up schedule than she would otherwise have had.

I doubt though that that was given a miniscule of consideration against having the great one's presence.

Asking for and accepting such an unseemly early WC is I expect hardly going to help Maria's reintegration with her fellow pros but one does wonder how much she's really boverred.

-- Edited by indiana on Sunday 12th of March 2017 10:06:03 PM

Oakland2002 · All-time great

I am interested in how effective Meldonium was as a performance enhancing drug. The temptation must have been greatest for players whose stamina was not a huge asset. She is a large athlete, surely tactically every opponent will want to get her on the move. How will Maria do in the third set against any of a big cohort of youngsters coming through. She has a decade? Of drug assisted performances for comparison. I just hope the commentators take the opportunity to discuss it.

Hormonal manipulation in female athletes facilitates massive gains in strength, speed and power. Banning them and policing the ban effectively resulted in a massive dip in female times and distances in power athletic events. Analysis of performances in long matches since 2016 will be interesting. Are the best performers in 2014/15 the same as in 16/17 did anyone really struggle from Jan 16 onwards?

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

WTA summarise the rules, and explain why there's nothing to see here: www.wtatennis.com/news/article/6394973
Does every player now get to pick the day they'd like to play their 1st round match on then.
It also confirms Sharapova can effectively ask for, and is pretty much obliged to receive, unlimited WC's.
Given the gall of her and her team so far (still only obliquely and ostensibly contrite, still blaming WADA, still maintaining the ban was egregiously punitive), one suspects they'll have no compunction in employing that until such time as enough points are secured to no longer require them.

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

It stinks; and we'll all have to don our ear defenders again too :( :(

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Well this takes the biscuit from Steve Simon, the WTA chief, re possible Wimbledon Wildcard for Sharapova

"Maria has served a 15 month suspension, has had no income, has lost all of her ranking as well as her Australian Open winnings from 2016 - so she's served a significant penalty for her actions."

Do these people actually live in the real world ?

Full article from BBC website here.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/39288838

My advice to the WTA would be, when you are in a hole, STOP DIGGING.