There have been mixed reactions to Maria Sharapova’s case. Many have expressed sympathy, while others have been highly critical. Former American tennis player Jennifer Capriati, who won the Australian Open twice (2001 and 2002), has called for Sharapova to be stripped of all her career titles. Rennae Stubbs, a former Australian doubles player, said she was “completely shocked” by the confession, while former US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe said it was “an unforgivable mistake.”
On the contrary, legendary female tennis player Martina Navratilova – 18-time Grand Slam champion – hopes that the public will not judge Sharapova negatively: “Sharapova admitted to testing positive for a banned substance. Hopefully this is an honest mistake. As far as I know, meldonium is not on the banned list as of 2015.”
American male tennis player Ryan Harrison said: “Maria handled the situation very well. In my opinion, it was an honest mistake by a great champion.” And Annabel Croft, a former female tennis player and British commentator, said: “Sharapova is a very strong player and a professional in every aspect. It is a surprise that this has happened.”
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has confirmed that Masha tested positive for a banned substance under the newly issued list and said that it will temporarily ban the tennis player from competing from March 12 while awaiting an official decision.
According to the regulations, the basic penalty will be a two-year ban. Sharapova is now 28 years old and can only return to competition in 2018. At that time, she will be nearly 31 years old – the age when her physical strength is no longer at its peak and she is starting to enter the other side of her career. Hopefully she can continue her illustrious career, otherwise it will be the biggest regret for her fans.
Sponsors turn their backs on Russian Doll
Immediately after the tennis beauty’s doping confession, a number of major sponsors punished the tennis player, who owns 5 Grand Slam titles. Accordingly, Nike terminated the 8-year contract, which was renewed in 2010, with a known value of up to 70 million USD. The famous Swiss watch brand TAG Heuer also announced the end of negotiations to renew the new contract after the old contract ended at the end of 2015.
