Maria Sharapova said on Wednesday that she remains fully committed to making a successful comeback from her doping ban following a decision by the French Open to deny her a wild card entry.
Sharapova was widely expected to be fast-tracked into the year's second grand slam tournament, which she has won twice, but the French Tennis Federation (FFT) took the unexpected decision on Tuesday to refuse her entry.
Sharapova's return from a 15-month ban has split opinion in tennis circles, with some players arguing she is being given special treatment after receiving wild cards for tournaments in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome.
Accepting the decision to bar her from the French Open without rancour would give the Russian a chance to rise above the furore, according to former world number three Pam Shriver.
Shriver said Sharapova needed to come to terms with what had happened and turn her attention to preparing for Wimbledon, where she is already one of the bookmakers' favourites for the title.
She’s smart and savvy. She needs to take a step back and reconcile that her return to major tennis is going to have to wait and not be bitter about it. It’s a chance to be above it all and complimentary.Pam Shriver
Sharapova tested positive for heart disease drug meldonium at last year's Australian Open.
The Russian said she had taken the drug "legally" throughout her career to treat medical conditions and had not realised it had been added to WADA's banned list a few weeks before the tournament began.
She was initially banned for two years but the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced the suspension to 15 months on appeal after finding she was not an "intentional doper" .
The five-time Grand Slam champion, one of the sport's biggest names, is guaranteed a place in the Wimbledon qualifying event but will need a wild card to get straight into the main draw at the All England Club.
The head of women's tennis on Wednesday, attacked the French tennis federation's refusal to grant Maria Sharapova a wildcard for the French Open as "groundless".
The Russian former world number one was told on Tuesday that despite serving her 15-month ban for doping she would have to miss the second Grand Slam of the season.
Announcing the decision, FFT president Bernard Guidicelli said he was sorry for Sharapova but added "it is my responsibility and my mission to respect the high standards of the game to be played without any doping."
WTA chief executive Steve Simon took the issue with the FFT's hard line stance on the two-time French Open champion in a strongly worded statement.
Whilst acknowledging that wildcards were granted at a tournament's discretion, Simon said:
What I do not agree with is the basis put forward by the FFT for their decision with respect to Maria Sharapova. She has complied with the sanction imposed by CAS (the Court of Arbitration for Sport). The tennis anti-doping program (TADP) is a uniform effort supported by the Grand Slams, WTA, ITF and ATP. There are no grounds for any member of the TADP to penalise any player beyond the sanctions set forth in the final decisions resolving these matters.Steve Simon
(With inputs from Reuters and PTI)
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