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Next Generation Star Zverev Falls Under Spotlight

  • Posted: Mar 08, 2016

Next Generation Star Zverev Falls Under Spotlight

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Emirates ATP Rankings 7 March 2016

  • Posted: Mar 08, 2016

Emirates ATP Rankings 7 March 2016

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Looking Ahead To Indian Wells And Miami 2016

  • Posted: Mar 08, 2016

Looking Ahead To Indian Wells And Miami 2016

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Cool, calculated & candid Sharapova?

  • Posted: Mar 08, 2016

Black blouse, pale face. That was Maria Sharapova as she announced her failed drugs test.

And the reaction to her carefully scripted words has been equally as polarised.

From the believers: Maria has made a mistake. She is a good person. We could all have done it.

From the other: doesn’t this all sound rather familiar?

Sharapova, a woman so focused on the small details that, according to her long-time agent Max Eisenbud, she will peel the label off bottles of water she drinks in nightclubs just in case someone takes a photo of her with a product she has not yet endorsed, has attacked this storm as she does a struggling opponent on court.

Announcements of failed tests are supposed to come from the sport’s governing body. That can leave time for rumours to swirl and opinions to harden. Consider everything Sharapova did in that Los Angeles hotel on Monday in that light.

The backdrop: beige curtain. Sober. Calm. The outfit: black shirt with long sleeves, long black trousers. An ensemble for mourning, an image of gravity and abstinence.

The legal position once she failed that test for meldonium is straightforward. Either she has deliberately taken it, knowing it is banned, which is cheating, or she has deliberately taken it and not known it is banned, which is negligence. According to anti-doping protocols, a suspension automatically follows either way.

There is no room in that legal process for emotion. Which is why an athlete looking for sympathy and leniency will introduce it as soon as they can.

The first six words Sharapova spoke appeared to be beautifully chosen. “I wanted to let you know…” Personal. Thoughtful. Not “I have been forced to…” or “You would have found out anyway”, but an act of choice, an almost moral decision to keep us informed.

“…that a few days ago I received a letter from the ITF that I have failed a drugs test.” The introduction of the idea that it is all new to her, that she has been taken by surprise; that this is something happening to her from the outside.

“For the past 10 years I have been given a drug called Mildronate by my family doctor…” Not Sharapova choosing to take it. Not a dodgy pharmacist or lab rat, but a family doctor.

“A few days ago, I found out it also has another name, which is meldonium, which I did not know.” Not that the drug was on the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) watch-list for the whole of 2015, or that it was announced in September that it would be banned, or that Sharapova received an email to that effect six months ago.

Instead, confusing old science. No reference to Wada’s announcement of its 2016 prohibited list, released on 16 September 2015, which prominently contains this sentence: “Meldonium (Mildronate) was added because of evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance.”

“It’s very important for you to understand that for 10 years this medicine was not on the banned list, and I was legally taking this medicine.”

A solid reference to the legality of taking it, rather than the fact that meldonium has never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the US, where Sharapova has lived for the past 21 years, or that the use of a drug to treat chronic heart failure seems curious in an otherwise phenomenally fit young woman.

And so it went on. The idea that the essence of the crime was not to click on a link in an email sent by Wada, when everyone listening to her around the world also regularly does not click on links in emails.

You might find all this too cynical. You might point out that Sharapova has spent so long carefully constructing her commercial image – she has been the highest paid female athlete in sport every year for the past decade, despite less than 20% of those annual earnings generally coming from prize money – that she would never do anything to jeopardise that brand.

Perhaps. You might feel that Wada should do more to make athletes aware of changes to the banned list, or that someone in Sharapova’s team should have helped her out. She’s a tennis-obsessed woman of 28. How can she possibly stay across her emails?

Or you might look at the figures, where Wada’s annual budget is $25m – less than Sharapova routinely makes from her endorsement deals alone – and wonder where else the sympathy might lie.

You might look at the basic and long-established protocol that every elite athlete is personally responsible for what is found in their body, or the fact that there have been 55 positive tests for meldonium in 2016 alone.

Or that Abeba Aregawi, 2013 world 1500m champion, has also tested positive for a drug well known to aid endurance and recovery, or that a 2015 study revealed that 724 of 4,316 Russian athletes tested were found to have meldonium in their system.

Maybe Sharapova is unlucky. Maybe there is an epidemic of heart disease among elite athletes, or that some of those others are cheating when Sharapova has merely been a little lax with her admin.

Maybe it is all too reminiscent of other cases from down the years for others to take her words at face value.

At the 2003 World Athletics Championships, US sprinter Kelli White tested positive for modafinil after winning 100m and 200m gold.

It was, she explained, a treatment for the sleeping disorder narcolepsy and had been prescribed by her doctor, Brian Goldman of San Francisco.

“I know I that I did nothing wrong and sought no advantage over my competitors,” she told a hastily-assembled group of journalists, wearing a sober black outfit and choosing her words carefully. “I am confident that things will work out in the end.”

White later admitted to not only taking modafinil to aid her performance, but also designer steroid THG and banned blood-booster EPO.

Sharapova is not Kelli White. There is no suggestion that she has taken any other performance-enhancing drugs. There are echoes, all the same, just as there are every time an elite athlete tests positive and attempts to take control of the fierce rally that follows.

So you might believe her. You might not. Three of her biggest sponsors, Nike, Tag Heuer and Porsche, have already put significant distance between themselves and their former ambassador.

But do not let it become about how much you admire Sharapova as a player or personality, or how she presented this to the world. There is one immutable rule in the anti-doping battle: it does not matter how much you like an athlete; they can still be looking for an unfair advantage. To believe anything else is to be both naive and ignorant of precedent.

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ATP Launches 'Next Generation' 2016 Campaign

  • Posted: Mar 08, 2016

ATP Launches 'Next Generation' 2016 Campaign

ATPWorldTour.com looks at a new generation of young talent in the Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings

The ATP has unveiled its ‘Next Generation’ campaign on the eve of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. With Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer continuing to take the sport to new levels, the campaign introduces an exciting crop of young and talented players, who are rising to prominence on the ATP World Tour.

There are 17 players in the Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, including six players in the Top 100, born in 1995 or later. Aged 21 or under each of them is striving to pose a future threat to the well-established hierarchy.

ATPWorldTour.com profiles 14 of the ‘Next Generation’ players:

Hyeon Chung (South Korea, No. 64)
Last year, the 19 year old rose from No. 173 to a career-high No. 51 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on 26 October 2015, which included four ATP Challenger Tour titles from six finals. The right-hander recorded the biggest win of his career over No. 34-ranked Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in this year’s Rotterdam first round and reached the Dubai doubles semi-finals (w/Vesely).

Borna Coric (Croatia, No. 47)
The 19 year old is the youngest player in the Top 50, having reached his first ATP World Tour final at Chennai (l. to Wawrinka) in January. He was the first teenager to play in a tour-level final since countryman Marin Cilic at 2008 New Haven (d. Fish). The right-hander also has two Top 10 wins to his name, beating Rafael Nadal at 2014 Basel and Andy Murray at the 2015 Dubai.

Jared Donaldson (United States, No. 157)
The 19 year old captured his first ATP Challenger Tour title at Maui in January 2015 to break into the Top 200. He won his first ATP World Tour match against Stefan Kozlov at 2015 Memphis.

Kyle Edmund (Great Britain, No. 82)
The 21 year old, who was part of Great Britain’s Davis Cup winning team last year, qualified for Doha in January and reached his first ATP World Tour quarter-final by beating Martin Klizan and David Munoz de la Nava. He has already contested two ATP Challenger Tour finals this year, winning in Dallas (d. Evans).

Taylor Fritz (United States, No. 80)
The US Open boys’ champion has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past 14 months, soaring from No. 1,151 to crack the Top 100 at 18 years, four months. Last year, he became just the second player aged 17 and under to win consecutive ATP Challenger Tour crowns and in Memphis, last month, he became the youngest American to reach an ATP World Tour final (l. to Nishikori) since Michael Chang in 1989.

Quentin Halys (France, No. 175)
The 19 year old earned his first tour-level match win over Ivan Dodig at this year’s Australian Open. He has a 3-2 record in ITF Futures finals.

Karen Khachanov (Russia, No. 146)
The 19-year-old captured his first ATP Challenger Tour title at Istanbul (d. Stakhovsky) in September last year. In 2013, he beat former World No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic en route to the Moscow quarter-finals, in only his second ATP World Tour event.

Thanasi Kokkinakis (Australia, No. 119)
Currently sidelined following right shoulder surgery in December 2015, the 19 year old rose 70 places to year-end high No. 80 last year, finishing as one of four teenagers in Top 100 (also Coric, Chung, A. Zverev). He also reached the Roland Garros third round (l. to No. 1 Djokovic) and the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells fourth round (l. to Tomic).

Nick Kyrgios (Australia, No. 27)
The talented 20 year old did not lose his serve in beating Richard Gasquet, Tomas Berdych and Marin Cilic en route to his first ATP World Tour title at Marseille last month. He was also runner-up in Estoril (l. to Gasquet) last year, and later reached a career-high No. 25 (8 June 2015). In 2014, as a wild card entry, he beat then World No. 1 Nadal to become the first debutant to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals since Florian Mayer in 2004.

Yoshihito Nishioka (Japan, No. 124)
The 20 year old, who has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles (2014 Shanghai, 2015 Toyota), reached his first ATP World Tour quarter-final at Delray Beach (l. to Tomic) last year. Last month he reached the Memphis last eight (l. to Querrey). He rose to a career-high No. 110 on 15 February 2016.

Andrey Rublev (Russia, No. 150)
The big-serving 19 year old recovered from a set and a break down to beat Paul Henri-Mathieu last week, winning 10 of the last 15 games, in a 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4 victory for his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Quimper. He rose to a career-high No. 161, becoming the 11th teenager in the Top 200. He is the third teen to win an ATP Challenger Tour title this year, joining Fritz and Blake Mott. He won his first ATP World Tour doubles title at 2015 Moscow (w/Tursunov).

Frances Tiafoe (United States, No. 177)
Moved from 1,145 in December 2014 to break into the Top 200 on 16 November 2015, going 0-2 in ATP Challenger Tour finals. Aged 17, last year, the big-hitter became the youngest American to compete at Roland Garros since Chang in 1989.

Elias Ymer (Sweden, No. 152)
Qualified for all four Grand Slam championships in 2015 and beat Thiemo de Bakker and Kyrgios en route to the Barcelona third round (l. to Ferrer). The 19 year old won his first ATP Challenger Tour title at Caltanissetta last year.

Alexander Zverev (Germany, No. 58)
The 18 year old has already reached two ATP World Tour semi-finals (at 2014 Hamburg and 2016 Montpellier), which included Top 20 wins over Mikhail Youzhny and Marin Cilic. He also advanced to the Rotterdam quarter-finals (l. to Monfils) last month. By winning the Braunschweig title aged 17 years, three months, in 2014, he became the youngest player to win an ATP Challenger Tour trophy since Bernard Tomic in Melbourne 2009.

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Banned Sharapova 'to play' at Olympics

  • Posted: Mar 08, 2016

Maria Sharapova’s failed drugs test is a “game-changer for life, not just for tennis”, says her former coach.

Nick Bollettieri also told the BBC he was shocked the former world number one had tested positive because “she has always been above board in everything”.

He added: “It’s kind of tough to find a black mark against her.”

Sharapova has been taking meldonium since 2006 for health reasons – the substance was added to the banned list at the start of 2016.

The Russian revealed she tested positive at the Australian Open in January.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Sharapova would be provisionally suspended from 12 March.

She could face up to a four-year ban.

“Everybody must accept responsibilities for everything they do in life.” American Bollettieri, 84, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “Everything, not just for tennis and sports.”

Sportswear company Nike said it was ending its association with Sharapova until investigations were complete.

Watch manufacturer Tag Heuer have already said it does not plan to extend its contract with the 2004 Wimbledon champion.

“I did fail the test and take full responsibility for it,” said Sharapova.

With career earnings from tennis alone amounting to almost £26m, she claimed she had taken meldonium “for the past 10 years” after being given it by “my family doctor” but had known the drug as mildronate.

Meanwhile, Russia’s tennis chief says he expects Maria Sharapova to play at the 2016 Olympics despite her failed drugs test.

The Games in Rio de Janeiro start on 5 August.

“I think this is just a load of nonsense,” Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpishchev told the TASS news agency.

“The sportsmen take what they are given by the physiotherapists and by the doctors.

“I think Sharapova will play at the Olympics. However, we will need to see how this will develop.”

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Sharapova reveals failed drugs test

  • Posted: Mar 07, 2016

Former world number one Maria Sharapova has revealed she failed a drugs test at the Australian Open.

The Russian, 28, tested positive for meldonium, a substance she has been taking since 2006 for health issues.

Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion, is provisionally suspended from 12 March pending further action.

“I did fail the test and take full responsibility for it,” said Sharapova, who won the Wimbledon title as a 17-year-old in 2004.

“For the past 10 years I have been given a medicine called mildronate by my family doctor and a few days ago after I received a letter from the ITF [International Tennis Federation] I found out it also has another name of meldonium, which I did not know.”

Test failed on day of Williams defeat

Sharapova, who lives in Florida, provided the anti-doping sample in question on 26 January, the day she lost to Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) analysed the sample and returned a positive for meldonium, leading to the Russian being charged on 2 March.

“It is very important for you to understand that for 10 years this medicine was not on Wada’s banned list and I had been legally taking that medicine for the past 10 years,” said Sharapova.

“But on 1 January the rules had changed and meldonium became a prohibited substance, which I had not known.”

She added: “I received an email on 22 December from Wada about the changes happening to the banned list and you can see prohibited items – and I didn’t click on that link.”

‘I made a huge mistake’

Sharapova has been the highest-earning female athlete in the world for the past 11 years, according to the Forbes list. Her career earnings from tennis alone amount to almost £26m.

She first reached world number one in August 2005 and is currently seventh in the rankings – but she has played just four tournaments since Wimbledon last July as she struggled with an arm injury.

Sharapova, who turns 29 in April, hopes to be able to return to tennis in the future.

“I made a huge mistake,” she said. “I have let my fans down, and let the sport down that I have been playing since the age of four that I love so deeply.

“I know that with this I face consequences and I don’t want to end my career this way. I really hope to be given another chance to play this game.”

There had been speculation Sharapova was going to announce her retirement and a large media contingent gathered for the Los Angeles news conference, which was streamed live online.

“I know many of you thought that I would be retiring today but if I was ever going to announce my retirement it would not be in a downtown Los Angeles hotel with this fairly ugly carpet,” she said.

‘Seems to be an honest mistake’

Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) president Steve Simon said he is “very saddened” at Sharapova’s failed test.

“Maria is a leader and I have always known her to be a woman of great integrity,” he added.

“As Maria acknowledged, it is every player’s responsibility to know what they put in their body and to know if it is permissible.

“This matter is now in the hands of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme and its standard procedures. The WTA will support the decisions reached through this process.”

Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova said: “Hope this gets cleared up as it seems to me to be an honest mistake.”

Brad Gilbert, who coached Andy Murray from July 2006 to November 2007, said: “Still stunned that nobody on ‘Shazza’ team checked new list from Wada. Players are responsible but this is big-time oversight on team as well.”

Former athlete Kelly Sotherton, who won bronze in the heptathlon at the 2004 Olympics, said it was “refreshing” that Sharapova took full responsibility for the failed test but “can only blame herself”.

She added: “I’m pretty sure if this was a track and field athlete they’d be getting a much rawer deal than Sharapova.”

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Watson up to 53rd in the world rankings

  • Posted: Mar 07, 2016

British number two Heather Watson is up 31 places in the world rankings to 53.

The 23-year-old’s rise followed her win in the Monterrey Open – the third WTA title of her career.

Fellow Briton Johanna Konta, 24, who broke into the world’s top 30 by reaching the Australian Open semi-finals, rose one place to 26 after making the last eight in Monterrey.

Britain’s Naomi Broady, 26, is up 20 places to 76 after reaching the semi-finals of the Malaysian Open.

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