Andy Murray’s comment on Maria Sharapova resurfaces after the Madrid Open controversy
Follow Us
Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova
Andy Murray is the former world number 1 and a member of the Big Four, a group of players who dominated men’s tennis during the 2010s. He gave a very blunt and dispassionate opinion on the former world number 1, Maria Sharapova’s return from her doping scandal.
Maria Sharapova failed the drug test in 2016 Australian Open and was subsequently banned from the tournaments for two years. The sentence was reduced to 15 months, and after the punishment period, Sharapova returned. Maria was given wildcards to several tournaments, including the Wimbledon, Stuttgart Open, and Madrid Open.
Andy Murray’s ruthless assessment of Maria’s situation
Andy Murray said that after such a doping scandal, an athlete should not be given an easy way into prestigious tournaments. He believed that Maria should have been forced to take the hard way and increase her ranking in order to qualify directly for the Wimbledon, or at least increase her points to be considered for the wildcards.
These might be very harsh words from the former world number 1, and it also seems quite dispassionate and unsympathetic. But, the point Murray made was that Maria disrespected the game by using the banned substances, and so she should have proven that she deserved the wildcards. He said, “I think you should really have to work your way back.”
Murray is getting the wildcard for Madrid open at the cost of Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. The Brit is not in his best shape at the moment, not having won a tournament for some time. There is a lot of debate about him getting the wildcard as well. Verdasco questioned tournament authorities after the wild card incident as he has to play qualifiers, to which Murray responded, “More than happy to play qualifying. Will most likely play qualies in Rome. If a tournament invites me to come and play in the main draw are you suggesting I should turn it down and play quailes?”
Murray would eye the Wimbledon with a chance to get back to his winning ways. He is the two-time Wimbledon champ, after all.
Maria Sharapova on the other hand begins a new chapter in her life with her expecting a child in a few months. She has become a successful businesswoman after her amazing tennis career, which was marred by the ugly doping incident.
Stay Updated!
Prateek Sinha
(365 Articles Published)