The Eugenie Bouchard vs. Maria Sharapova tennis match was played more off the court than on before Bouchard's 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 victory on Monday in the second round of the Madrid Open, and afterward Bouchard kept her mean girl attitude.
Sharapova was working her way through a comeback after being suspended 15 months for using a banned drug, said the BBC News, and Bouchard, a Canadian native, had blasted Sharapova during an interview when asked about her comeback, said the Montreal Gazette.
"She is a cheater and so, to me, I don't think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again," Bouchard had told Turkish broadcaster TRT World. "It's so unfair to all the other players who do it the right way."
"I think from the WTA it sends the wrong message to young kids: 'Cheat and we will welcome you back with open arms,'" Bouchard had said. "I don't think that's right and definitely she is not someone I can say I look up to anymore."
Sharapova lost her World Tennis Association ranking because of the suspension. She has been able to receive wild-card entries into some of the top tournaments, though, instead of going through the embarrassment of playing to qualify for them, noted the Gazette. The French Open will announce next week if Sharapova will get a wild card to that Grand Slam event.
Sharapova said she has tried to block out things that have been said about her and concentrate on her tennis game, noted The Telegraph.
"I'm just one of the two players out on the court," said Sharapova. "Everything that surrounds myself, I don't pay attention to much of it. I've been part of this game for many years. I know what the drill is."
Boucher did not let up after her victory, noted BBC News.
"I was inspired because I had a lot of players coming up to me privately, wishing me good luck," Bouchard said after her first career win over Sharapova. "They were players I don't normally speak to and I got a lot of texts from people in the tennis world that were just rooting for me. I wanted to do it for myself, but also for all these people."
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