MARIA SHARAPOVA VS. GENIE BOUCHARD GRUDGE MATCH BECOMES A REALITY IN MADRID WTA TENNIS

Written by: Staff on 8th May 2017

MARIA SHARAPOVA VS. GENIE BOUCHARD GRUDGE MATCH BECOMES A REALITY IN MADRID WTA TENNIS

epa05947260 Canada's Eugenie Bouchard in action against France's Alize Cornet during their first round match of the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 06 May 2017. EPA/KIKO HUESCA |

Sharapova vs. Bouchard grudge match becomes a reality in Madrid second round

By Ricky Dimon

During Maria Sharapova’s recent comeback event in Stuttgart, Genie Bouchard was asked about the Russian’s return from a performance-enhancing drug ban.

The rest is history.

“I don’t think that’s right,” Bouchard said in reference to Sharapova getting wild card into Stuttgart and other tournaments. “She’s a cheater and so, to me, I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again.

“It’s so unfair to all the other players who do it the right way and are true. I think from the WTA it sends the wrong message to young kids: cheat and we’ll welcome you back with open arms. (She is) definitely not someone I can say I look up to anymore.”

Instead, the Canadian will be looking across the net at Sharapova when they go head-to-head in a blockbuster second-round showdown at the Mutua Madrid Open on Monday. That highly-anticipated tilt became a reality after Bouchard beat Alize Cornet on Saturday and Sharapova got the best of Mirjana Lucic-Baroni on Sunday.

Sharapova was asked following her win if she finds extra motivation for Monday’s match because of Bouchard’s recent commented.

Russia’s Maria Sharapova takes part in the Mutua Charity Tie Break on the eve of the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament at Caja Magica complex in Madrid, Spain, 04 May 2017. The Mutua Madrid Open will take place from 05 to 14 May 2017. EPA/JUANJO MARTIN

“It’s not the way I go about my job,” the 30-year-old responded. “I’ve been in the public eye since I was a very young girl. I’ve heard a lot of things. If everything affects you on and off the court, I think that would be a really challenging position to be in. It’s not the way I think. My tennis speaks for itself, and that’s what I focus on.”

Sharapova’s tennis has been impressive as she returns to action for the first time since January of 2016, when she began serving a 15-month suspension after testing positive for Meldonium at last year’s Australian Open. The former world No. 1 reached the Stuttgart semifinals last month before defeating Lucic-Baroni 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in her Madrid opener.

“My goal is to play as many matches as I can right now,” Sharapova explained. “When you are out of the game for a long time you just want to play and want to compete and find yourself in different situations of the match. And, like this one, it was extremely tough–not many rallies, she forced me to come out with some of my good tennis, and I really had to dig deep.”

The five-time Grand Slam champion has never been required to dig particularly deep against Bouchard. She is sweeping the head-to-head series 4-0 and is 8-1 lifetime in total sets at the 23-year-old’s expense.

They most recently faced each other at the 2015 Aussie Open, where Sharapova cruised 6-3, 6-2.