Petra Kvitova calls Maria Sharapova’s failed doping test a ‘huge mistake’ as players react
WTA players rocked by Russian’s admission that she had failed a drug test waiting to see what sanction the superstar will face
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WTA players rocked by Maria Sharapova’s admission that she had failed a drug test are now waiting to see what sanction the Russian superstar will face.
We should all know what we are putting into our body. It was a huge mistake and she is taking responsibility for it
Sharapova’s positive test for meldonium was the talk of the locker room as the hardcourt tournament at Indian Wells got underway on Wednesday.
Radwanska said she was in the locker room in Indian Wells with a group of WTA players getting ready train for this week’s tournament in southern California when she heard the news on Monday.
“It is a sad day for tennis,” she said on Wednesday. “Nobody expected that. We are all waiting to see what they are going to do about it.”
READ MORE: Key sponsors cut ties with Maria Sharapova after she fails dope test
Czech Kvitova said Sharapova has made a “huge mistake” by not paying more attention to what drugs are on the banned list.
“We should all know what we are putting into our body,” she said. “It was a huge mistake and she is taking responsibility for it.”
Sponsors of the world’s highest-earning sportswoman immediately distanced themselves, with Nike, Porsche and TAG Heuer all halting their relationships with the former world number one.
READ MORE: War wound: Maria Sharapova drug was used by Soviet military troops in Afghanistan in 1980s
The five-time grand slam winner could face a ban of up to four years, although her attorney John J. Haggerty told the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday that he believed she can plead mitigating circumstances and receive a lesser punishment.
“There is no evidence whatsoever that this was intentional on Maria’s behalf,” Haggerty said.
It is a sad day for tennis. Nobody expected that. We are all waiting to see what they are going to do about it
Sharapova, whose on-court prowess and business savvy have brought her an estimated personal fortune of $200 million, wrote on her Facebook page that she woke up early Wednesday morning determined to fight through the scandal and eventually continue her storied career.
“New day, new start. It is fair to say that this day was not average,” Sharapova wrote. “Nothing came to mind at 6am, except that I am determined to play tennis again and I hope I will have the chance to do so.
“I wish I didn’t have to go through this, but I do – and I will.”
