Stosur and Friends Stunned By Sharapova Ruling

What I find interesting is the way Maria is trying to shift a lot of the blame to the ITF, claiming the organization did not do enough to inform her of the changes.

This is very different from her press conference last March where she said: “I take responsibility for my professionalism in my job and I made a big mistake. I know there will be consequences. . . . I can’t blame anyone but myself. I have let my fans down.”

I agree with Stosur. Maria’s excuse is not acceptable. It is the athlete’s responsibility to know and follow the anti-doping rules. WADA announced in Sept. 2015 that meldonium would be added to the banned list in 2016 and posted the information on its website. In fact, the list for 2017 is already on the website, along with a summary of any changes; anyone can view it easily. Apparently there were other notifications to athletes, including the e-mail sent in Dec. 2015 that Maria did not read.

The other issue for the athletes is, even when meldonium was legal, Maria was using a drug that may have given her an edge. If I were a player who had lost to her in a long, close match I would wonder if meldonium had increased Maria’s endurance, allowing her to get the victory.

It’s a dead story.

Just watch Sharapova get ostracized in the dressing room and mauled on court.

But…..what if she starts WINNING ? 🙂

Scoop-

Maria and Simona should meet to replay final of the FO – last time Maria rushed off court in the 3rd (to get a refill ? ) and came back to win 🙂

Oliver Brown good in Telegraph as well – it’s good that some journalists are writing this stuff – not pandering to the WTA and clique of inner circle.

BJK should be ashamed of herself appearing at that circus in Las Vegas, same for Martina.

Seems you break the law (ok, the spirit of the law) and it’s roses roses all the way for certain people.

Thanks for the links to the UK newspaper articles. The reaction of the WTA, etc. is very disappointing. I get it that Sharapova is a big draw who brings in $, but there is also the integrity of the sport. The WTA has been very namby pamby about her ban and it sounds like they can’t wait for her to be back playing, complete with lots of wild cards.

It makes it hard to believe that they do take doping very seriously.

Hartt –

I’ve never had a high regard, or much regard at all, for the WTA and its minions. Going back decades.

And no, ‘integrity’ is hardly a word I would use in connection with that organisation. Lost its way a long time ago.

What the WTA takes seriously is $$$$$.
As Oliver Brown says, the whole business is ‘nauseating’.

Let’s be real, the WTA better let Sharpie back on the tour and set up childcare for Azarenka because the women’s game is at an all-time low. While the men have the Fab 5 and young guns like Zverev, Kyrgios, Thiem and the Asian wonder, Nishikori, the women have Serena, the wonder-less Kerber and basically nothing else. Who’s the new flavor on the women’s tour? Keys maybe, but she’s a one-trick pony and has little personality on the court. Give me one young women’s player who excites you?

Dan, I am a fan of the young Russian player, Daria Kasatkina, who turned 19 in May. She had some success as a junior player, winning the girls’ FO in 2014 and was part of the team that won the junior Fed Cup in 2013. She is ranked No. 24, so has been having success on the WTA tour. She is still very young, but I think she has real potential.

How about Klein qualying for second week in a row in Cally Challengers and then beating Sandgren who’s been playing pretty well. And how bout Bemelmans coming on the Challenger circuit and beating Darian King 7-6 in 3rd set? There’s a lot of fight in Klein.

Speaking of a “bad guy” Nick Kyrgios managed to do just about everything possible in 1 match in the one he played against Mischa Zverev. He lost in SS in about 48 minutes. He obviously tanked, patting serves in, walking off the court before Zverev’s shot was completed, etc. It was so bad the umpire told him he could not play that way, that he needed to be professional. He even said to the ump: “Can you call time so I can finish this match and go home?”

He got into it with fans at least a couple times, once with an obscenity that led to a code violation. When another fan said “You’ve got to respect the game” Nick’s response was “Sit down, shut up and watch.”

Understandably the fans booed his lack of effort. In the press conference he offered no apologies for his actions (or perhaps more like his lack of action). It was the fans’ tough luck if they bought tickets and he paid poorly; they should know how unpredictable he was.

Tickets to a tennis match are not cheap and a player does have a responsibility to the fans, to the game, and to himself to give his best effort. I thought, based on his behaviour in Tokyo, that Kyrgios may have had matured. That is obviously not the case.

Players on the WTA likely getting jealous of Kerber. She goes ahead, wins a slam, then Muguruza does and folks think, well this is how it will be, each tournament a new slam champ. Serena restores order at Wimbledon, and then Pliskova beats her and Kerber wins another title.

Moral of the WTA story: it’s more interesting than we give it credit. Kerber’s showing what a solid dose of professionalism can do for a player’s career, that dedication to the game pays back in spades.

Kyrgios is himself. He really is the most frustrating player on the ATP. It’s hard to be in his corner – marvel at his game, appalled by his attitude. I have to believe at some point he will want to make good with the powers that be in Australia, the old guard there and the new old guard in Rafter, Hewitt.

Only thing I think that Kyrgios right now can’t anticipate is the same thing that Raonic’s well aware of: there’s a tennis generation behind him ready to dethrone him. It’s not great to talk about juniors, but Australia didn’t just support Kyrgios, Tomic, and Kokkinakis – they doubled down and have other players coming behind them, just like Canada. Just like the U.S., too, which has kids behind the next next guys.

So there’s an awful good chance that Australian tennis will change and players there will eat Kyrgios’ lunch – steal some of the attention he is benefiting from. It woke Tomic up, though Kyrgios has now shown he’s a better, however volatile, bet. And when they sneak up on Kyrgios, he’ll experience it too and see that nothing can be taken for granted.

Funny how the sport works. You have guys who’d give anything for a slam, and others who’d do anything to NOT get a slam.

Blatant tank by Nuck. He wants to be the atp rebel and seems to be eager to outdo himself by creating new controversies. I think its by design. He sees the void and need for a villain and is eager to play the role. Why else would he tank to a scrub like Zverev after whooping Querrey? I submit Kyrgios is aspring to be the new Agassi. Hey, i’d trade five Raonic and five Nishikori personalities for one Kyrgios.

For all his talk about basketball Nick likely realizes that it’s too late now for pro basketball; that ship has sailed. But if he does not enjoy tennis, was “bored” in his match against Querrey, then yes, he should take a long break to see if he does want to continue in the sport.

Whatever Nick’s problem is I can see it may be beyond his control. But the fact that he disrespects fans, umpires and opponents means that he is not a “character” as some have suggested, but a first class jerk.

He says he does not owe the fans anything, but does he get where the $ for prizes, etc. comes from? With no fans there would be no tournaments, no sponsors, no big $$.

Maybe he needs an entourage. He has Aja but clearly she’s no substitute for bros on tour.

Well, the Rochus brothers played a slam together more recently.