Caroline Wozniacki: Maria Sharapova’s wildcards are disrespectful to other players

03/12/2017

Former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki is completely against Maria Sharapova’s planned return from a 15-month drugs ban at Stuttgart next month and called it “disrespectful” to other WTA players. She said that when a player is banned for drugs, she should start from the bottom and fight her way back.

Following the 2016 Australian Open, Sharapova failed a drug test when banned substance Meldonium was detected in one of her samples. The ITF did not twiddle their thumbs and took the bold step of suspending one of their star players for a period of two years. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), however, later reduced the sentence by nine months making the Russian available for the upcoming 2017 French Open. However, the Russian will begin her comeback at the upcoming Stuttgart Grand Prix in July. But, Wozniacki is against giving wild cards when a player comes back from serving a ban.

“I think it’s very questionable, allowing — no matter who it is — a player that is still banned to play a tournament that week,” Wozniacki said to AFP. “I think it’s disrespectful to the other players and the WTA. But it is what it is. Obviously, rules are twisted and turned in favour of who wants to do what.”

She said that the Russian should start from the bottom and make her way back into the top.

She said, “I think everyone deserves a second chance and I think she's going to come back and fight her way back. I'm sure she's going to play well. But at the same time, I feel when a player is banned for drugs, I think someone should start from the bottom and fight their way back because it’s different from an injury where someone is out because they had hurt themselves.”

The Stuttgart Grand Prix begins on April 24 and the former World No.1 is set to play her first round match on April 26.