The world’s media has congregated in Germany to witness the return of the formidable Maria Sharapova. On the same day her 15-month suspension ends, the former world No.1 will take on Roberta Vinci in Stuttgart. The match promises a lot, but how did we even get here? Here is a guide to Sharapova’s roller coaster return.
The background
During the 2016 Australian Open, Sharapova failed a drugs test. She tested positive for meldonium, a drug which was added to the list of banned substances on January 1st that year. It was revealed that Sharapova had been taking the drug for ten years to treat a magnesium deficiency and a family history of diabetes.
Throughout the incident, the Russian has pleaded her innocence. Sharapova has stated that she was unaware that the drug had become banned and she never consumed it to enhance her performance. Despite admitting negligence, she was slammed with a 24-month ban by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). This sentence was reduced to 15 months by the Court of Arbitration for sport (CAS), who concluded that there was ‘no significant fault or negligence.‘ Still, the CAS concluded the 30-year-old should be held accountable for her failure to check the list of banned substances.
There continues to be a war of words between Sharapova and the ITF, who she accuses of ‘trying to make an example of her’. During a recent interview with The Times newspaper, it is alleged that the ITF knew about Sharapova’s meldonium consumption in November 2015.
“Why didn’t someone come up to me and have a private conversation, just an official to an athlete, which would have taken care of the confidentiality problem they talked about later?” Sharapova said about the ITF’s handling of her case.
The ITF have repeatedly denied allegations of wrongdoing by Sharapova.
Why Stuttgart?
It is no coincidence that Sharapova’s return will be in Stuttgart. Besides the tournament falling in the same week her ban ends, she has deep ties with the event. Between 2012-2014, she was undefeated, winning three consecutive titles. Furthermore, both Sharapova and the tournament is sponsored by Porsche. Porsche was one of the few sponsors to support the multiple grand slam champion throughout her ban.
In January tournament director, Markus Günthardt, pledged his full support for Sharapova after the announcement of her wildcard.
“I’m really happy for Maria that she’s back after a long break. Particularly pleasing for me is that it’s going to be our audience that gets to watch her comeback live,” he said.
“Her return in the Porsche Arena is a fabulous present for our fantastic spectators and is certain to be one of the sporting and emotional highlights of our anniversary tournament.”
Why has there been so much debate?
The return to the tour is a controversial one. Due to Sharapova’s tour absence, she had to be granted a wildcard into the tournament.Victoria Azarenka has described her return as a ‘good thing for tennis’. Meanwhile, Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro had previously said ‘it will be nice to see her back.’
On the other hand, some players are not so thrilled about her wildcard entry. Opponents have argued that it sends out the wrong example to give a pass to a player guilty of violating anti-doping rules. One of those include Roberta Vinci, Sharapova’s first round opponent.
Furthermore, some have expressed disappointment with Sharapova being allowed in the tournament. She was officially banned from the event during the first two days of competition. Sharapova has had to train at the Sportverein Sillenbuch tennis club as she is prohibited from entering the grounds of a WTA event until April 26th.
Updated list with quotes from players who’ve talked about Sharapova’s WCs. Lots of mixed opinions from both the ATP and WTA sides. pic.twitter.com/e1HZBT47zr
— José Morais (@ZezeAM) 21 April 2017
When will Sharapova play?
Sharapova’s clash against Vinci will be the first of the night matches. It will get underway not before 18:30 local time (17:30 GMT). It will be her fifth appearance in Stuttgart and her first competitive match on the clay since the 2015 French Open. She currently has a 13-1 win-loss record at the tournament.
“As she gets ready for the match, I’m sure she’ll be nervous but incredibly excited. She has evolved a lot as a person in the last 15 months, realised there is more to life than tennis, and that might help her. I think she’s in a really good place.” One unnamed source told The Daily Telegraph about Sharapova’s return to the tour.
Sharapova currently has a 2-0 head-to-head lead over Vinci.
How can I watch it?
With the WTA yet to create their streaming service, there are others ways fans can watch the match. In the UK viewers can watch it on BT Sport 1. Other international broadcasters include Digisport, Fox Sports, RTVE, Bein Sports and Super Tennis. A full list of broadcasters can be viewed at http://www.wtatennis.com/where-watch.
Alternatively, the match will also be live streamed by selected betting websites. Usually the betting websites require consumers to sign up and deposit a set amount of money into their account before granting access to their streaming service.
