French Tennis Federation (FFT) President Bernard Giudicelli announced via Facebook Live that Maria Sharapova will not be awarded a wildcard for the French Open, according to L’ÉQUIPE. Giudicelli said, "Today, I cannot give her a wildcard. She won two titles here at Roland Garros (’12 and ’14). ... If there can be a wildcard awarded for returning from injury, there cannot also be a wildcard for returning from doping. It is up to Maria, day after day, tournament after tournament, to find her own way to reclaim major titles. The tournament is stronger than the players" (L’ÉQUIPE, 5/16). The London GUARDIAN reported Sharapova has been refused a first-round place and a "chance to progress through qualifying." She recently returned from a 15-month ban for doping "after she was found guilty of using meldonium, a banned substance." Giudicelli said, "It's my mission to protect the game. It's my mission to protect a high standard of play without any doping." French Open Dir Guy Forget "previously hinted that the Russian would be granted a place in the singles draw." He said, "Some say she shouldn't get it, others say she served her time. As you talk with players, it's very controversial. So no matter what happens, there will be a lot of questions around that wildcard." Sharapova has played in three tournaments since completing her ban, which ended in April. She played Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the second round of the Italian Open on Tuesday. Sharapova's first-round win in Rome over Christina McHale on Monday "guaranteed her a place at Wimbledon in July" (GUARDIAN, 5/16).
WIMBLEDON: In London, Mike Dickson reported the French tennis authorities "well and truly lobbed the ball into Wimbledon's court with a principled decision that resists commercial pressures." Unless Sharapova reaches the semifinal of the Italian Open -- which would "most likely take the decision out of their hands by her directly making the main draw" -- then it is "extremely hard to see the All England Club now offering a wildcard into the elite field." As it stands, she "already earned her way into the qualifying event," but the French decision is "likely to spell the end of any further assistance" from Wimbledon (DAILY MAIL, 5/16).
