A day after having her two-year drug ban reduced to 15 months, tennis player Maria Sharapova this morning said it was an “honest mistake” not knowing meldonium was a banned substance. Sharapova, appearing on NBC’s “Today” said for an "honest mistake, a two-year ban I don't think was correct." Sharapova: "I had admitted my mistake." NBC's Matt Lauer said the Court of Arbitration “basically agree with you,” as the court “found no deliberate attempt to dope, they found no deliberate attempt to cover up doping." He added, "Why didn't they just release the suspension today? Why do you think you have to continue through 15 months?” Sharapova: “The least I could have received was one year based on the current rules, the ITF rule book. So I received 15 months because I didn't delegate the job to my agent well enough. I didn't check with him at the end of 2015 and make sure that he was checking that list.” Asked what kind of response she anticipates when she returns to tennis, Sharapova said, "I’ve been respected as an athlete ever since I came on tour. ... I show a lot of spirit out on the court and I think a lot of players and a lot of fans really respect that." But if there is a negative reaction, Sharapova said, “I faced boos before" (“Today,” NBC, 10/5).
WHEN THE DUST SETTLES: In N.Y., Christopher Clarey writes the "truth is that nobody should be pumping a fist and bellowing, 'Come on!' when it comes to the Sharapova case," as none of the major players "ended up winners." WADA "botched the introduction of meldonium to its banned list this year, undermining faith in the system at a moment when faith is imperative." The ITF, which again "had a tribunal overruled by the sports court in an important case," in this instance was "taken to task by the court." It appears to be time for "yet another under-duress look at change, which has become the rule in tennis throughout this year of upheaval." If and when the "smoke finally clears, this all may prove to have been worth the trouble." But the "tumult of this year has been painful and, in Sharapova’s case, maddeningly avoidable" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/5). SI.com's Jon Wertheim said, "No doubt this a repudiation. That said, there is still a penalty in effect. It does seem as though nobody is winning here. It is still not great for anyone that one of the sport’s big stars is facing this 15-month doping ban, though obviously 15 months is preferable to two years" (SI.com, 10/4).
