Maria Sharapova was officially suspended for two years on Wednesday after failing a drug test at the Australian Open. The five-time major champion wasted no time in responding, announcing in a post on her Facebook page that she will appeal the suspension.
Fighting an “Unfairly Harsh” Decision
In her post, Sharapova points out that the ITF tribunal “unanimously concluded that what I did was not intentional. The tribunal found that I did not seek treatment from my doctor for the purpose of obtaining a performance enhancing substance. The ITF spent tremendous amounts of time and resources trying to prove I intentionally violated the anti-doping rules and the tribunal concluded I did not.”
She goes on to say, “While the tribunal concluded correctly that I did not intentionally violate the anti-doping rules, I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension. The tribunal, whose members were selected by the ITF, agreed that I did not do anything intentionally wrong, yet they seek to keep me from playing tennis for two years. I will immediately appeal the suspension portion of this ruling to CAS, the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
According to Sharapova, the ITF had initially asked the tribunal to suspend her for four years, which is the required suspension for an intentional violation of the rules. However, the tribunal found that it was unintentional and therefore cut the suspension in half.
What’s Next for Sharapova
Sharapova will now appeal the suspension, which, should she be successful will most likely result in a reduction of the suspension to a year. She does face an uphill battle, however, considering the case against her is fairly strong.
The tribunal did find that, while she did not intentionally take a “performance enhancing drug,” she did hide her use of the drug and even lie about it for several years. Even though it was not a banned substance at a time, she did deny the use of the drug on official WTA and ITF documents which is tough to argue against.
In the meantime, Sharapova left this message for her fans: “I have missed playing tennis and I have missed my amazing fans, who are the best and most loyal fans in the world. I have read your letters. I have read your social media posts and your love and support has gotten me through these tough days. I intend to stand for what I believe is right and that’s why I will fight to be back on the tennis court as soon as possible.”