Internet Desk: Former World No. 1 women tennis player Maria Sharapova on Wednesday decided to break her silence on not getting a wild card entry for French Open. The Russian tennis star took to her twitter handle to express her feelings. She wrote, “If this is what it takes to rise up again, then I am in it all the way, everyday,” Sharapova said on Twitter on Wednesday. “No words, games, or actions will ever stop me from reaching my own dreams. And I have many.”
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) May 17, 2017
The Russian glamour girl did not have the required points to qualify for the Roland Garros.
According to FFT President Bernard Giudecelli, “There cannot be a wildcard for the return from doping.”
Sharapova’s return from a 15-month ban has split opinion in tennis circles, with some players arguing she is being given special treatment after receiving wildcards for tournaments in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome.
The Russian’s involvement in those three tournaments has seen her subsequently rise to 211 in the world rankings.
Meanwhile the glamour girl of world tennis looked disappointed of pulling herself out from the Rome ATP Tennis Open. The five-time Grand Slam Champion was leading by 4-6, 6-3, 2-1 against Croatian veteran Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
Sharapova has competed at three events since returning to competitive tennis following her 15-month suspension for testing positive for meldonium, a sanction that was reduced from two years by the Court for Arbitration of Sport (CAS).
FFT president Bernard Giudicelli said that the Russian had needed to earn her spot on the court and that she had not been able to acquire enough ranking points to secure an automatic place in qualifying for the tournament in Paris
There were mixed reactions about Sharapova not getting the wild card entry. Top-ranked players Angelique Kerber and Andy Murray spoke out against Sharapova receiving wild cards, while Eugenie Bouchard openly called her a “cheater” who should be banned for life. “Unfortunately, it is the Grand Slam, which is for sure, a big one for her”.
“You can get a wild card when you return from injury but you cannot get a wild card when returning from a doping suspension,” Bernard Giudicelli said in an internet media conference.