Maria Sharapova brushes off player criticism

[davidc4430]

looks like sour grapes to me.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-27/maria-sharapova-is-not-looking-to-make-friends-after-doping-ba...

players being catty about maria playing again should pull their heads in, she was caught fair and square, judged and sentenced.

now shes back having served her sentence, get over it.

if any players have a problem with it, take it up with the governing body....or quit in protest.

BTW, personally i'd have banned her for life, same as i would to any athlete caught cheating.

but thats not the rules.

maria has done her time for her crime.

back to tennis.

[not_for_sale2024]

I have mixed feelings about this. Personally, I think  Eugenie Bouchard is a self-righteous, high and mighty little thing and I'm not really interested in her opinion. I'm not sure she's earned the right to be publically critical of Sharapova, and she may regret calling her a cheat.

However, I'm uncomfortable with Sharapova being given the wild cards, and at the expense of other players who have earned their place in a tournament. It does seem like she is being given special treatment. It would make more sense to me if she were required to work her way back into tournaments, rather than being assisted because of her profile and past achievements. I can understand how this is not sitting well with some of the other players.

I agree with you, she did the crime and the time, but lets not roll out the red carpet because she is Maria Sharapova - that would be hypocritical IMO.

[lyndal1838]

But Sharapova did cheat.....why does it matter who says so publicly?  Anyone who competed against her has a right to be annoyed and say so.

If her suspension ended early it is a bit rough that she is essentially being allowed to come back into the game where she left off....competing at the highest level.   At the very least she should have to start at the bottom and win her way through the ranks again.

[not_for_sale2024]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

But Sharapova did cheat.....why does it matter who says so publicly?  Anyone who competed against her has a right to be annoyed and say so.

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Sharapove denies intentionally cheating. She accepted responsibility for taking the drug and for for being irresponsible in not monitoring the banned substances. But to refer to her as a cheat is a bit rough IMO.

[lyndal1838]

Cheating is cheating whether intentional or not IMO.

Anyone who gets caught cheating at anything can say they did not do it intentionally but does that make it right?

There are hundreds of tennis players who do take responsibility for the drugs they take and for keeping up to date with the banned substances list.   Would a player who was just starting out in tournaments be given the same boost up when/if they returned to the game after a similar suspension?   Or has Sharapova been given special treatment?

[not_for_sale2024]

You may be aware of a recent incident where a female golfer replaced her ball on the green about 1 inch to the left of where she should have replaced it. She was penalised and it cost her the win. I saw her interviewed after the tournament and she was shattered. IMO she may have been remiss, irresponsible, lax and/or stupid, but I do not believe she was a cheat who cheated. And no other golfer to my knowledge has called her a cheat. Yet she will have to bear the indignity and (perceived) suspicions about her actions for the rest of her career.

I belive Sharapova is entitled to the same benefit of the doubt until someone can provide evidence that she intended to cheat. Being labelled a 'cheat' when one is a professional is highly serious. It stains ones integrity, credibility, and honesty as a professional. This can be more damaging and hurtful than failure in tournaments.

I agree that she should have to work her way back just like any other player. But as David suggested, some of the other women players need to get over it and focus on their tennis, because Sharapova is back.

[lyndal1838]

Yes, I am aware of the golfing incident.

The interesting thing about that was the fact that it was picked up by an armchair critic who was watching it on TV....and all the experts agreed that she received no advantage whatsoever from the error in replacing the ball.

I have to agree that it was not blatent cheating...if it was not picked up by anybody who was at the event when it was in full view then I am not sure that anyone with a TV's eye view should have any say in it.

It is the same as saying that a TV viewer should be able to influence a cricket match or a horse race when both of them already have very close monitoring by photographs at the source.

That is not the same as taking a medication/drug in private when there is plenty of time to look up the list of banned substances.  That was a conscious decision to take that drug.

I definitely believe if Sharapova had not been give the wildcards she may not have attracted the criticism either.

[not_for_sale2024]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

That is not the same as taking a medication/drug in private when there is plenty of time to look up the list of banned substances.  That was a conscious decision to take that drug.

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Yes it was a conscious decision to take the drug, but she denies knowing it was banned. I think she too was probably lax and stupid if she is telling the truth. And she has been punished for it and should have been IMO. But that doesn't mean she is a cheat who intentionally cheated; maybe it is evidence that she is arrogant, complacent and very possibly stupid.

It's been really interesting reading you views - thanks.

[lyndal1838]

Yes, I agree....reading other people's views can be interesting when it can be discussed without anger and name calling as so often happens here.

I also think that being involved in a sport where drug testing is important can colour a person's view.

My daughter has showed horses for many years.  Some time ago we had a pony entered for Sydney Royal where random drug testing was enforced.  The pony was bitten by mosquitoes and he reacted very badly with large welts at the sites where he was bitten.  We called in the RAS vet on duty, who luckily was our usual vet and knew the pony and the problem.   We all knew that the treatment was with a prohibited drug as it was also a drug that could be used to mask lameness.  The vet told us it was a drug that would be in evidence for 7 days but as we were also going to use a cream containing a small amount of the active ingredient the drug may still be detectable on day 8 when he was due to compete.

The solution was to obtain a vet certificate which stated the reason for the use of the drug and the pony was in no way unsound.  That had to be lodged with the Horse Superintendant at the time of treatment.  Thankfully we never had to refer to the certificate as the pony was never tested.

[not_for_sale2024]

The example you've given about your daughter's pony is a good example of how a drug can be needed for therapeutic reasons, even when it may otherwise be banned because of the concerns about misuse to gain benefit from the other effects of the drug. You overcame the dilemma by following the rules.

Sharapova claims to have been on meldonium for 10 years to treat a magnesium deficiency and family history of diabetes prior to it being banned . The drug was legal in her country and was medically prescribed. But she didn't follow the rules when the drug was banned under the Wada code in 2015. I guess it would be a fair question to ask why! And we are all inclined to come up with our own conclusions why, somewhat based upon on our like or dislike of the person, or how we perceive them.

Maybe she is a cheat, and maybe she isn't. Maybe she is just a silly person who should have been smart and followed the rules. But I am put off by these women tennis players who are coming out of the woodwork to judge and condemn her. I wonder what their true motives are?