Maria Sharapova is serving up bitter criticisms of tennis authorities
on a gloating victory lap after getting her drug suspension reduced.
But the International Tennis Federation returned the shot Thursday,
essentially saying Sharapova is using revisionist history in her
criticism of the ITF’s handling of her ban for using the prohibited drug
meldonium.
In an interview with PBS, Sharapova was asked whether the ITF was
trying to make an example of her, as a former world No. 1, five-time
major winner and the world’s highest-earning sportswoman.
“I never wanted to believe that, but I am starting to think that,”
she said. “I got a 24-month suspension, but they [the ITF] wanted four
years for me.”
Sharapova was cleared Tuesday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport
to return to action in April after her two-year suspension was reduced
to 15 months.
The administrator of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program denied it had
sought a four-year ban for Sharapova and, in a statement, rejected
suggestions by the Russian that its independent tribunal was “not
neutral.”
The ITF also emphasized it had not known, prior to this year when the
drug was put on the banned list, that meldonium was in common use by
eastern European athletes.
Sharapova, 29, also has said other sports federations had been more
effective at communicating with athletes and hoped the ITF would take
note.
Her lawyer John Haggerty described the ITF’s procedure for relaying
rule changes as a “night and day difference” to the “vivid and direct
warnings” from others.
“The ITF did not try to ban Ms. Sharapova for four years, as has been
suggested,” the tennis governing body said. “The ITF stated clearly
that it was the responsibility of the Independent Tribunal — and
subsequently the CAS Panel — to determine what the appropriate sanction
should be.
“Ms. Sharapova has stated that the Independent Tribunal was ‘not
neutral,'” it added. “Ms. Sharapova’s legal team was given the
opportunity to object to the appointment of any member of that Tribunal
in advance of the hearing, and they agreed in writing that they had no
such objection.
“It was accepted by Ms. Sharapova in the hearing before CAS that the
ITF did not know before 2016 about the extent to which meldonium was
used by athletes from any region, or that Ms. Sharapova herself was
using meldonium.”
Sharapova returns to the court for the first time since her doping
ban was reduced when she makes her World Team Tennis Smash Hits debut
next week in Las Vegas.
WTT announced Wednesday that Sharapova will play in the charity
event, co-hosted by Billie Jean King and Elton John, on Monday at
Caesars Palace.
Sharapova says she’s “really excited to get back on the court for a
great cause.” She joins a field that includes John McEnroe, Andy Roddick
and Martina Navratilova. The event will be shown live on ESPN2.
With Reuters and AP
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