After an enthralling first round Davis Cup weekend which saw the top two players in the world play lengthy five setters,…
Racquet manufacturer Head plans to extend its contract with Maria Sharapova, despite her positive test for banned drug meldonium.
The Russian, 28, has already lost the backing of Nike and Tag Heuer, while Porsche has suspended its relationship with her.
But Head says it is standing by the five-time Grand Slam champion.
“Maria may have made a mistake, but she has earned the benefit of the doubt and we are extending it to her,” it said.
Sharapova will be suspended from 12 March and could face a four-year ban after she tested positive at the Australian Open in January.
Head described Sharapova as “a role model and woman of integrity who has inspired millions of fans around the world to play and watch tennis”.
It added: “The honesty and courage she displayed in announcing and acknowledging her mistake was admirable.
“We look forward to working with her and to announcing new sponsorships in the weeks and months ahead.”
Russian biathlete Eduard Latypov has been suspended after testing positive, the Russian Biathlon Union has confirmed.
The International Biathlon Union temporarily suspended the 21-year-old after traces of the banned substance were found in a sample taken last month.
Three-time former champion returns to Indian Wells as No. 4 seed
The last time Rafael Nadal clutched the BNP Paribas Open trophy in Indian Wells it was a punctuation mark on a successful return from a seven-month injury lay-off. It was 2013, and his three-set triumph over Juan Martin del Potro marked his third straight title of the season and a springboard to cementing the year-end Emirates ATP World No. 1 Ranking.
Three years on, the Spaniard returns to Indian Wells as the No. 4 seed with a 44-8 record in the desert. He begins his quest for a fourth BNP Paribas Open against either Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller or Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic.
“I am practising hard and happy to be here with time and doing the right things [to prepare],” Nadal said. “I lost two matches at the beginning of the season that I could win and should probably win.
“I feel ready to keep going mentally and physically. I’m excited to be in Indian Wells, a tournament I love so much.”
Clay-court defeats to Dominic Thiem and Pablo Cuevas back-to-back in Brazil will have little bearing on Nadal as he contests his first hard-court event since his surprise first-round loss to compatriot Fernando Verdasco at the Australian Open. He could meet Verdasco – his Indian Wells doubles partner – again in the third round.
“South America was crazy humidity. It was very difficult to play in those extreme conditions – the temperatures and humidity were so high,” Nadal said. “I’m much better than last year in terms of personal feelings. Last year I was so nervous when I was competing.
“This year I lost matches that I believed I could win, but I was prepared and didn’t have those negative feelings in terms of being without control of my breathing and being too nervous. This year I didn’t have the best possible results but I’m working hard to change that.”
Reflecting on the confidence boost his third BNP Paribas Open delivered in 2013, Nadal predicted the player he defeated in that final, del Potro, could similarly use his return to Indian Wells to bolster his mindset in a long road back from injury. The Argentine is contesting just his second tournament since wrist surgery curtailed his 2015 season.
“It was obvious in the first tournament he played he did amazing, reaching the semi-finals [in Delray Beach], winning some great matches against tough players after a long time,” Nadal said. “When I arrived here in 2013 I never thought I’d have a chance to win the title. He can do it, yes.
“It’s true that he has amazing potential and amazing tennis. He has the level to do it if he’s playing well.”
Rafael Nadal has denied he has ever used a banned substance to get an edge or to speed up recovery from injury.
Asked for his reaction to Maria Sharapova’s failed drug test, the 14-time Grand Slam champion took the opportunity to address speculation he has used performance-enhancing drugs.
The Spaniard, 29, said he was “a little bit tired” of the rumours, adding: “I am a completely clean guy.
“I have never had the temptation of doing something wrong.”
Nadal added: “I believe in the sport and the values of the sport.
“The sport is an example for society. It is an example for the kids and if I am doing something that goes against that, I will be lying to myself, not lying to my opponents.”
Nadal has never failed a drugs test but has been the subject of speculation that he dopes.
In 2011, former French Open champion Yannick Noah wrote a newspaper article saying Spanish sporting success was due to doping.
A year later, a French TV show featured a life-size likeness of Nadal filling up his car’s gas tank from his own bladder before being pulled over by traffic police for speeding.
Then in 2013, Belgian former professional player Christophe Rochus questioned Nadal being able to dominate the 2012 French Open and then be injured two weeks later at Wimbledon.
Nadal said he has taken advantage of some new treatments for his knee problems, like stem-cell therapy and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, often known as blood spinning.
“I have been open all my career,” he said. “I never tried to hide nothing that I did. I did PRP and then I did stem cells.
“The first time with PRP it worked fantastic and the second time it was bad. I had to stop playing tennis for seven months.
“With stem cells, I used it two times on my knees and it worked very well. I am not doing, never did, and never going to do something wrong.”
Nadal added that he trusts a doctor to monitor what medication he takes.
“He has been the doctor for all the Spanish players for a number of years,” he said. “I would never take nothing that he doesn’t know about.”
Former world number one Sharapova announced on Monday that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January.
The five-time Grand Slam winner tested positive for meldonium, which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list this year.
Nadal said Sharapova deserves to be punished as an example to others.
“It is difficult to imagine that something like this can happen, but mistakes happen,” he said. “She should be punished.
“I want to believe it is a mistake for Maria. She didn’t want to do it. But obviously it is negligence. She must pay for it.”
Czech looks to build on strong start to 2016
In his 12th consecutive Indian Wells appearance, Tomas Berdych is keen to make an impact at the BNP Paribas Open. Despite having started 2016 with a 12-5 record, the 2013 semi-finalist believes that he still has more to give.
“I’m trying to work on being a bit more aggressive, a bit more risky,” said Berdych, No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. “I have to do a little extra to raise my level and to do better.”
The powerful baseliner has made the quarter-finals or better in each of his four tournaments on the year, but has yet to reach a final and is looking for his first title since 2015 Stockholm (d. Sock). Another good reason for the 6’5” Czech to take a few more chances than usual: his lone ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title came in Paris in 2005, when he downed Ivan Ljubicic in five sets.
“Since you’re coming from Europe, you have a few more days before the tournament starts, so you can really take your time to prepare the way you want,” said Berdych, who helped the Czech Republic move into the Davis Cup quarter-finals with an away win in Germany last week. “The conditions are quite fast but it suits my game. I can play aggressively [here].”
Berdych, who has made the trip to the Californian desert every year since his debut in 2005, noted the tournament’s commitment to serving both players and fans.
“The tournament tries very hard to listen to the players and to make us feel at home,” Berdych said. “To have an event like this, it’s really nice. The organisers work really hard to promote the event and to get a lot of visitors here, which is very important. It’s always one of the best-attended events of the year.”
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Maria Sharapova thanked fans for their “loyalty and support” in a Facebook post after her failed drugs test.
The five-time Grand Slam winner, 28, revealed on Monday that she tested positive for meldonium in January.
“I woke up yesterday morning with an inbox full of love and compassion,” wrote the Russian. “Your wonderful words put a smile on my face.”
Sharapova, who faces a ban of up to four years, said she was “determined to play tennis again”.
“I wish I didn’t have to go through this, but I do – and I will,” she wrote.
“I have not been online much except the odd search for a new antique coffee table, but my friends made a collage for me with all your beautiful messages and hashtags that you created.
“I spent the afternoon reading them next to my dog, who couldn’t quite understand why this was more important than the walk he was expecting to take.”
| More on Sharapova and meldonium |
|---|
| Banning meldonium ‘will cause deaths on pitch’ |
| Sharapova reckless beyond description – ex-Wada boss |
| Are these drugs being misused by athletes? |
Meldonium was developed to treat diabetes and heart-related diseases but could have a positive effect on stamina and endurance because it can increase the flow of oxygen to muscles.
It was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (Wada) list of banned substances on 1 January 2016.
Sharapova, who says she has been taking meldonium for 10 years for health reasons, has had some sponsorship deals ended or postponed.
The International Tennis Federation said she will be provisionally suspended from 12 March.
British number two Heather Watson reached the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with a three-set win over Galina Voskoboeva.
Watson, 23, was back in action for the first time since claiming her third WTA title at the Monterrey Open on Sunday.
The world number 53 won the first set on a tie-break before her Kazakh opponent levelled the match, but Watson hit back to win 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-1.
“When it was important I was able to bring out my best tennis,” Watson said.
Watson, who was granted a wildcard for the prestigious California tournament after reaching the fourth round last year, plays Romanian 32nd seed Monica Niculescu in round two.
Sportspeople will die in action as a result of being denied meldonium, according to the heart drug’s inventor.
On Monday, five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova announced she had tested positive for the drug.
Meldonium, also known as mildronate, was developed to treat diabetes and various heart-related diseases but was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in January.
“We will see many deaths on the field,” Ivars Calvins told BBC Radio 5 live.
“Athletes who use mildronate will not be able to do it in the future and will be not more protected.”
The Latvian added: “This drug was on the market for 32 years – as a self-protective agent – and now suddenly it becomes forbidden.
“You could see a sudden death in the sports events sometimes.”
Listen to the full interview with the inventor of meldonium
World number seven Sharapova said she has been taking the drug since 2006 for health reasons.
The 28-year-old Russian, who said she was unaware meldonium was added to Wada’s list of banned substances on 1 January, failed a drugs test at the Australia Open later that month.
Sharapova, the highest-paid female athlete in the world in 2015, could be banned for as many as four years.
Meldonium also has the ability to adjust the body’s use of energy, stimulating glucose metabolism and also helping to clear fatty build-up in the arteries – and could also have a positive effect on stamina and endurance in athletes.
Several athletes has tested positive for it in 2016, including 1500m world champion Abeba Aregawi, 2015 Tokyo Marathon winner Endeshaw Negesse and Russian ice dancer Ekaterina Bobrova.
Thirteen medallists from the 2015 European Games in Baku were also found to have been taking meldonium.
“As far as I’m concerned, the system works,” former Wada president Sir Craig Reedie told BBC Sport.
“There is research on a drug, there is monitoring on a drug, there is information given to the athletes that it will come on to the prohibited list on a set date.
“I can’t believe [there can be any excuse].”
UK Anti-Doping CEO Nicole Sapstead said she could not rule out a British athlete testing positive for meldonium.
“I will never say I’m confident about anything, because the nature of anti-doping is so unpredictable,” she said.
“There’s always a danger that when a new substance is introduced onto the prohibited list that athletes will be caught out. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”