Former Australian tennis ace Pat Cash feels dope-tainted Maria won’t be welcomed by players and fans when she returns to court this April
Former Australian tennis ace Pat Cash feels dope-tainted Maria won’t be welcomed by players and fans when she returns to court this April
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Former Australian tennis ace Pat Cash (below) believes Maria Sharapova will not be welcomed on her return to tennis in April after serving a doping ban.
Former World No. 1 Sharapova (29) admitted to the use of the banned drug meldonium during last year’s Australian Open and was subsequently suspended for 15 months. Sharapova said she’d been using the drug for a long time due to treat an ailment.
She returns to the game in April at the Stuttgart WTA event. However, Cash (51), a former Wimbledon Champion, feels both the fans as well as players won’t be too pleased about her return.
“I don’t think she’ll be welcomed at all by the tennis community, particularly the inner circles of tennis,” Cash told The Weekend Australian newspaper at Melbourne Park.
“I think there’s a huge mark on her career, her whole career, since she’s been taking a performance-enhancing drug for 10 years.
“It’s a huge slur. She admitted it and it’s almost as if her whole career is a lie. Going on the attack against the ITF (International Tennis Federation) just made the tennis community think she’s placing herself above the rules,” added Cash.