Former world No.1 Maria Sharapova has supported the decision of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to intensify their doping tests.
On Friday the governing bodies of tennis confirmed their intention to increase drugs testing by 63%. The Joint initiative is backed by the ITF, WTA, ATP and the Grand Slam board. In a statement on Friday, ITF president David Haggerty said ‘Protecting the integrity of tennis is an ongoing priority of the governing bodies of tennis.’
The approach has been welcomed by Sharapova, who ended her 15-month doping suspension earlier this week. The Russian was banned from competition after testing positive for meldonium, a drug that became a prohibited substance on January 1st, 2016. Throughout the controversy, Sharapova has engaged in a war of words with the ITF. She had previously accused them of being biased and trying to ban her for four years. Accusations they have publicly denied.
“I definitely welcome that — I am not against it,” the 30-year-old told the media in Stuttgart on Friday.
“We only have to give an hour slot to drug testing every single day of the year, but that is part of the job and if they test us more, that’s great.”
This year the funding for the anti-doping programme will be increased by more than 50% to approximately US$4.5 million.
Accusations of ‘extra help’
Sharapova’s successful return to the tour in Stuttgart and support for the ITF has failed to protect her from some strict scrutiny. The latest critic is France’s Kristina Mladenovic, who will play Sharapova in the semi-finals on Saturday. Speaking shortly after her 6-3, 6-2, quarter-final win over Carla Suarez Navarro, the world No.19 questioned the fairness of Sharapova’s wildcard.
“On one hand, I totally understand the tournaments want her in the draw, because she is very famous and they want more attention, which is part of the business.” Said Mladenovic.
“On the other hand, you can ask if it is fair to get a wild card. It’s a fact that she was caught by anti-doping, but she wasn’t the first one.
“Others have also had the right to come back and play tennis, but with a different road, they wouldn’t get invitations to tournaments.
“Of course, she is authorised to play tennis again, but why would she get that extra help compared to other players?”
There continues to be an ongoing debate about rewarding tournament passes to players convicted of breaking doping rules. Simona Halep, who is the only seeded player left in the Stuttgart draw, previously refused to support the decision to hand Sharapova a wildcard.
“For the kids, for the young players, it is not OK to help with a wild card the player that was banned for doping,” said Halep, adding that “it is not about Maria Sharapova here, but it is about all the players that are found doped.”
“I cannot support what the tournament director did, but also I cannot judge.”
Sharapova will play her semifinal match against Mladenovic on Saturday afternoon at 15:00 GMT.
