Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard says Maria Sharapova, who returned from her 15-month doping ban on Wednesday, is a “cheater” and should not be allowed to compete in the sport again.
Bouchard spoke to TRT World in an interview published Tuesday on YouTube and did not hold back her thoughts.
Sharapova was suspended by the International Tennis Federation in 2016 after she tested positive for the banned substance meldonium. She faced and defeated Roberta Vinci Wednesday evening in the Stuttgart Open in Germany.
“I don’t think that’s right,” Bouchard said of the Russian’s return. “She’s a cheater and so, to me, I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again. Unfair to all these players who do it the right way and are true.
“I think from the [Women’s Tennis Association] it sends the wrong message to young kids: ‘Cheat and we’ll welcome you back with open arms,'” added Bouchard, who’s currently the No. 59-ranked women’s player in the world. “I don’t think that’s right and (she’s) definitely not someone I can say I look up to anymore because it’s definitely ruined it for me a little bit.”
Bouchard, a 23-year-old native of Westmount, Que., fell 6-0, 6-4, to Slovakia’s Jana Cepelova in the first round of the Istanbul Open on Tuesday.
A day earlier, Sharapova said she doesn’t feel hurt by fellow players speaking out against the conditions of her comeback.
"I can’t control what people say and I never have," the Russian said. "The only thing I can control is what I do out there and those are my words. I’m always prepared to walk the walk and I have and I’ve done that by winning five Grand Slams and being No. 1 in the world."
— With files from The Associated Press
[relatedlinks]
