The CEO of the WTA Steve Simon has admitted that the rules surrounding the awarding of wildcards through the WTA could be reviewed. There has been a lot of discussion about the process through which players are awarded wildcards in the wake of the decisions of tournaments such as Rome, Madrid, and Stuttgart to award a wildcard to Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova’s ban for using the banned substance meldonium, prohibited by the WTA since the start of the 2016 season, is now coming to an end. The former World No.1 would not have been eligible to compete in the high-profile events without the wildcard, as she has no current ranking points due to her last tournament taking place more than a year ago.
Speaking with the BBC, Simon said “If the members wish us to look at the rule, we will, that’s how our system works. My personal opinion is that it shouldn’t be adjusted unless we decide to not provide it at all and change the entire wildcard rule.”
Stone also gave his thoughts on Maria Sharapova: “I think the suspension is in place to deal with an action that occurred. Maria has served a 15 month suspension, has had no income, has lost all of her ranking as well as her Australian Open winnings from 2016 – so she’s served a significant penalty for her actions.”
