DOPING respected, SCHIAVONE Not - Wildcard granted to Sharapova, denied to Schiavone in Rom

Rogerjohnson81 said:
Enough with the doping nonsense. She took medication for 10 years that was then arbitrarily banned by some totalitarian organization. That is not doping. Sharapova was foolish because she shouldn't have apologized. She did absolutely nothing wrong aside from being an annoying grunter.

Supposedly sharapova is not friendly with most of the players and that is why they are against her. How come no one mentions that Cilic was suspended for a banned substance and then won a grand slam? No one brings it up.

Sharapova brings in a lot of money to the tournaments she plays. She deserves a wild card no matter what. If feel bad for Schiavone but tennis with her face can not survive (unless of course if all the tournaments were combined with the ATP players who subsidize the former) while it does with people like Sharapova.

It is a no brained business decision. But even if money wasn't involved Sharapova deserves every wild card even conceived because of how she was persecuted by a ridiculous regulatory body that creates arbitrary bans.
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This post is ridiculous. Sharapova is not friendly with most players so thats why they're against her? Tennis with Schiavone's face cannot survive? Most of the deluded bias is how you ignore the fact Sharapova willingly concealed what she was taking because she knew it was a banned. Or how they found evidence that she was advised to take a higher dose to improve her performance during matches. It being a PED or not is irrelevant to her guilt, she knowingly broke the rules whilst taking a substance she believed improved her performance.

So no. She was not persecuted. She was guilty and got what she deserved and should not be given wildcards just because she brings in money or viewers. That's like letting Jimmy Savile do more kids shows because he was popular and brought in viewers. The world should not be run by money and we need to set an example where we can and denying Sharapova a wildcard is one of the ways we should be setting an example.
 
Terenigma said:
This post is ridiculous. Sharapova is not friendly with most players so thats why they're against her? Tennis with Schiavone's face cannot survive? Most of the deluded bias is how you ignore the fact Sharapova willingly concealed what she was taking because she knew it was a banned. Or how they found evidence that she was advised to take a higher dose to improve her performance during matches. It being a PED or not is irrelevant to her guilt, she knowingly broke the rules whilst taking a substance she believed improved her performance.

So no. She was not persecuted. She was guilty and got what she deserved and should not be given wildcards just because she brings in money or viewers. That's like letting Jimmy Savile do more kids shows because he was popular and brought in viewers. The world should not be run by money and we need to set an example where we can and denying Sharapova a wildcard is one of the ways we should be setting an example.
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QFFT

I'd like to add that denial is just about the biggest reason doping is rewarded so hugely.
 
Red Rick said:
Don't give the arbitrary nonsense crap.

If it wasn't performance enhancing, then why were hundreds of athletes taking the drugs?

Why are there still people being caught for using Meldonium?

She's a convicted ****ing doper, giving WC to convicted dopers in against hard working players is just cancerous
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He's used that line since the beginning. He even managed to spin a statement from WADA that Meldonium was a PED into the exact opposite. It was one of the dumbest things I've read on this forum:

Bartelby said:
WADA admits meldonium not performance enhancing

WADA issued a statement on March 7 about the banning of meldonium and cited one ground only:

Meldonium was added [to the Prohibited List] because of evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance.’

In other words, if athletes think a drug may be beneficial then that is enough reason to ban it.
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Sharapova is one of the biggest attractions and not playing for almost a year and a half seems like a punishment enough. Better get used to those wildcards.

Not giving Schiavone a wildcard definitely wouldn't be nice though.
 
Paullaconte1 said:
This is one of the worst stories you can ever read about tennis.

Schiavone is playing the last season of her respectable career. In Rome they do not give the wildcard to her, but to Sharapova that was banned for doping.

http://tennistonic.com/tennis-news/...ted-to-Sharapova,-denied-to-Schiavone-in-Rome!
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What makes it worse, Schiavone is Italian, this is her home tournament. Maria must feel indispensable and her superior attitude in the locker room can only get worse. I wonder if Wimbledon would give a WC to Sharapova over Laura Robson.
 
Without the meldonium ( or Mildronate, since she made the incredible claim that she never heard of the name meldonium despite using it for 10 years) the intense matches could trigger a heart attack so she should retire for her own well being and safety.
 
What's she taking for her many serious ailments now that meldonium is banned? She can now compete whereas earlier she couldn't survive without it? What a ridiculous farce she's foisted onto the sport and fans.

Its sad that the tournaments are just putting money over the integrity of the sport. It will make for very poor optics when sharapova hoists trophies, and hard working honest players are standing next to her with the runner up plates.
 
Sharapova's and her team's mistake was not realizing that the times have changed, and you can dope or microdose with all the sanctioning bodies approval through existing mechanisms.

In other words, the title here is quite apt, and that has been the case for a while now.
 
AiRFederer said:
Imagine if Serena switched places with Sharapova. Everyone would doom her to oblivion and lifetime ban. But oh no it's sharapova, it's the mistake of someone elses.
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Serena would of gotten a TUE for it, even if she didnt declare it at the time of failing a test.

The doping system cannot be taken seriously if the rules arent enforced equally
 
See what happened here? Rome gave the wildcards to one Italian and one non-Italian. Schiavone lost out to Errani, not Sharapova. It's the commentators who are on the drugs, not Sharapova!

Schiavone ranked 168 and Errani is ranked 104 whereas Sharapova was previously ranked far higher. Rome simply chose the best Italian player of the two, so nothing to see here.
 
Schiavone doesn't look happy about the matter, but here's looking at you kid:

2md3r14.jpg
 
Very sad and weirdly disrespectful attitude towards one of their own, a former Grand Slam champion, who happens to be playing the final season of her career! The head of the Italian Tennis Federation has apparently been attacking Federer for not showing up to play Rome this year and yet seems perfectly happy to treat one of the only 3 Italians to win a Slam in the open era in this shabby fashion.
Somewhat undercuts his credibility to say the least. Shame on you, Rome!!! :mad:
 
Such moral indignation? What monstrous crime was committed? And what should the punishment be? Maybe Rome should receive one of those famous 'messages' for its blatant Russophilia?
 
Oh my goodness! How can you say what monstrous crime was committed? The worst possible thing you can do in sport is be a drug cheat. It is a stigma. A nasty stain on the sport. I guess the message here is if you are seen to be pretty and can make money then you can do whatever you want. I am sure if it was a Francesca who did it her career would likely have ended there. Poor girl.

And don't you always go on about Rafa doping? When he has never been found guilty of any banned substance. How you can attack him but defend a known convicted doper is beyond me. But good luck to you. I am glad Roger is not playing this year!
 
Eh, instead of getting pissy at Sharapova getting a wildcard, i'm questioning Errani getting it. She's in terrible form at the moment, meanwhile Schiavone just won Bogota (which hopefully will see her get direct entry into the French).

Errani can always play Rome next year, Schiavone however is retiring. Schiavone didn't even get a qualifying wildcard and the tournament director said she can play pre qualifying where the winner of that gets a main draw wildcard.

As for Sharapova, she'll bring lots of fans to the tournament and while it is annoying that they reward a doper/cheater/whatever you want to call it, she's a key attraction to tennis and people will travel far and wide to see her compete. Especially as she's a former champion in Rome.
 
clayqueen said:
What makes it worse, Schiavone is Italian, this is her home tournament. Maria must feel indispensable and her superior attitude in the locker room can only get worse. I wonder if Wimbledon would give a WC to Sharapova over Laura Robson.
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EVERYONE will give Pova a WC because of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

This is the way of the world; if you disagree or want to fight it, well, youre just tilting at windmills.
 
Rogerjohnson81 said:
Enough with the doping nonsense. She took medication for 10 years that was then arbitrarily banned by some totalitarian organization. That is not doping. Sharapova was foolish because she shouldn't have apologized. She did absolutely nothing wrong aside from being an annoying grunter.

Supposedly sharapova is not friendly with most of the players and that is why they are against her. How come no one mentions that Cilic was suspended for a banned substance and then won a grand slam? No one brings it up.

Sharapova brings in a lot of money to the tournaments she plays. She deserves a wild card no matter what. If feel bad for Schiavone but tennis with her face can not survive (unless of course if all the tournaments were combined with the ATP players who subsidize the former) while it does with people like Sharapova.

It is a no brained business decision. But even if money wasn't involved Sharapova deserves every wild card even conceived because of how she was persecuted by a ridiculous regulatory body that creates arbitrary bans.
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enough with the bs excuses. She knew it was banned and still took it hoping it would slip through the cracks. The legitimacy of banning the drug is a completely different story. Rules are rules.
 
I am a Maria fan, but those Italian organisers will cop it if Schiavone doesn't get a wild card, that is just bad management...appalling...

For the record, I think Maria doped (come on guys...think with your brain, not with your peni$), but man...how can you ban those legs from the WTA tour...
 
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My brain asks the question: where's the evidence that Meldonium is a PED? And the answer is that no one has any.

I do not see why WADA should be trusted on this issue given its inability to produce the evidence and given also that the American Government sits on its Board.

Fedinkum said:
I am a Maria fan, but those Italian organisers will cop it if Schiavone doesn't get a wild card, that is just bad management...appalling...

For the record, I think Maria doped (common guys...think with your brain, not with your peni$), but man...how can you ban those legs from the WTA tour...
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She said she did not know and that position was accepted.

That's why her sentence was reduced to fifteen months.

WADA argued she did know and argued for a four year ban.

WADA lost and she was given two years reduced to fifteen months.

metsman said:
enough with the bs excuses. She knew it was banned and still took it hoping it would slip through the cracks. The legitimacy of banning the drug is a completely different story. Rules are rules.
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Schiavone actually refused a wild card into the Olympics, so the fact that Errani was favoured is either just due to rankings or perhaps some internal Italian tennis politics.

Aussie Darcy said:
Eh, instead of getting pissy at Sharapova getting a wildcard, i'm questioning Errani getting it. She's in terrible form at the moment, meanwhile Schiavone just won Bogota (which hopefully will see her get direct entry into the French).

Errani can always play Rome next year, Schiavone however is retiring. Schiavone didn't even get a qualifying wildcard and the tournament director said she can play pre qualifying where the winner of that gets a main draw wildcard.

As for Sharapova, she'll bring lots of fans to the tournament and while it is annoying that they reward a doper/cheater/whatever you want to call it, she's a key attraction to tennis and people will travel far and wide to see her compete. Especially as she's a former champion in Rome.
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Bartelby said:
My brain asks the question: where's the evidence that Meldonium is a PED? And the answer is that no one has any.

I do not see why WADA should be trusted on this issue given its inability to produce the evidence and given also that the American Government sits on its Board.
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The reason she taked the drug for years its because some medical condition of hers. So I guess this condition is now gone and she would survive without the meds ....
 
The reason she took the drug is that some doctor prescribed it to her for whatever he thought it treated and she never got off it.

I actually don't believe this story. The reality is that the idea that Meldonium was both cheap and useful caused many to take it up even though it offered no real benefit.

Doping in sport is not about two dollar treatments by snake oil salesmen.
 
Stupid thread. Tournaments can grant WC to the players as they want. They do what is best for the business. Enough sh... about morals here, reserve it for your own children.
 
(Singing in James Brown voice) "This is a Man's World!" "This is a Maaannnss Woorrlldd!!!" As long as we objectify and exploit our "sweet smelling easy on the eyes" counterparts, these kind of decisions will always be rendered no matter how unfair. You wanna see a "Giraffe" or a "Hyena" I personally like watching both.
 
... as if Nadal were not sold to young adolescents as a drool-worthy toy salesman for Babolat and Nike! Judging by the Nadal-worship threads, it has worked a treat.
 
Remind me again why bans for doping aren't permanent?

How can a cheater ever be trusted again? All their results, past and future, are asterisked once you get pinged for cheating.
 
I am not sure why one would fall for Sharapova's awkward noise, disproportionate upper body to lower (seriously), eccentric attitude on court ...when there are so many beautiful tennis players out there and have amazing attitude on court!
 
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