If Women's Tennis Association players believe Maria Sharapova is a cheater, as one rival has claimed, it is not the position the WTA head takes on the matter.
WTA Chief Executive Officer Steve Simon told the British newspaper The Times that he believes the embattled Russian star made "an honest mistake" with her failed drug test, via USA Today Sports.
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"She does not want to end her career this way and I know she feels the mistake is on her," Simon told the newspaper. "She is not saying she didn't do it. She's responsible for what goes into her body and this has been a terrible, terrible mistake she made. But I remain convinced it was an honest mistake."
French player Kristina Mladenovic recently went after Sharapova for testing positive for meldonium, which became a banned substance this year, as directed by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
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The drug's reputation is that of boosting an athlete's oxygen uptake, providing better endurance, USA Today Sports reported.
"She wasn't really liked, Mladenovic said to the French newspaper Le Parisien, via The Guardian. "I respected her for her career but she wasn't really nice nor polite, let's be honest. At least the good news to come out of all of this is that the anti-doping program is working and that even if you're among the best players you're going to get caught and it's going to get out.
"All the other players are saying she's a cheater," she said. "You sure doubt and think that she didn't deserve all she won until now. That's dreadful, but it's good that it's finally out. As far as I am concerned if I take an aspirin I worry 10 times about what I do. She's been taking this drug for 10 years and it's a serious drug. She has played with the rules and thought, if it's not banned, then I can take it. For me that's very disappointing. I don't like the mentality to be the best by playing with the rules."
Simon conceded that Sharapova is "not above the rules" but added that the violation was "terrible for the women's tennis game."
"The last thing I want to see is any athlete have a positive drugs test," said Simon, whom USA Today Sports reported took over the WTA in October after more than a decade as the chief of the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells tournament. "There is nothing good that can come from that. Not for the athlete, not for the sport, not for anybody involved. That being said, there is not an athlete that is above the rules. Maria tested positive and as a result she is now in the Tennis Anti-Doping Program."
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is expected to hear Sharapova's case in the coming weeks, if Sharapova decides to fight the team of the ban expected to be imposed on her, USA Today Sports added.
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