Paris: Maria Sharapova will know on May 16 if she will be granted a wildcard invitation for the French Open, the organisers of the May 28-June 11 grand slam tournament said on Wednesday.
“We will make our decision public on Facebook on May 16,” French federation president Bernard Giudicelli told a news conference on Wednesday.
“There is no reason why we should make an exception for Maria Sharapova. There is no reason why we should announce a wild card before the others.” Giudicelli said he will discuss the matter with tournament director Guy Forget on May 15.
Former world No. 1 Sharapova, 30, is returning to action on Wednesday from a 15-month doping ban after being awarded a wild card for the Stuttgart claycourt tournament.
“The tournament is bigger than the players,” added Giudicelli, who said he would call Sharapova before the decision is made public.
With 23-time major champion American Serena Williams already out of the picture because she is expecting a child, the tournament would be deprived of the other big name of women’s tennis if organisers decided not to invite Sharapova, a two-time French Open champion.
Giudicelli, however, said this would not be a factor.
“This is not a cast. This is not a rock opera,” said Giudicelli.
Sharapova’s invitation for the Stuttgart tournament raised eyebrows in the tennis community, with Romanian Simona Halep, who was defeated by Sharapova in the 2014 French Open final, saying: “For the kids, for the young players, it is not OK to help with a wild card the player that was banned for doping.
“It is not about Maria Sharapova here, but it is about all the players that are found doped.”
Women’s Tennis Association chief Steve Simon defended Sharapova, saying she does not need to be punished more.
Women’s Tennis Association Chief Executive Steve Simon, meanwhile, has defended the wildcard entry awarded to Sharapova. “You have to look at how other leagues and tours have handled players who have come back,” Simon told BBC Sport. “They come right back to the team and start playing.
“She is starting at ground zero. It is going to affect her seedings in big tournaments so she’s still going to pay a penalty for a while.
“If you think about it from other leagues, most of them [bans] are half of a season or a full season. She’s had a year and a half.”
Former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters also supported the decision to let Sharapova compete in the tournaments. “I was disappointed and surprised when the news came out but, having been on both sides of the spectrum as a tournament director and as a player, I don’t think she needs to be punished more,” Clijsters said.
Meanwhile, French Open organisers have increased the grand slam tournament’s prize money by 12 per cent to 36 million euros (Dh144 million), while narrowing the gap between the earnings of the winners and the first-round losers.
The winners will pocket 2.1 million euros each, a 100,000-euro increase from 2016, with first-round losers earning 35,000 euros, tournament director Guy Forget told a news conference on Wednesday.
Serbian Novak Djokovic won the men’s title, while Spaniard Garbine Muguruza claimed the women’s title last year.
