Mind Over Sports

In my opinion, Maria Sharapova is not telling the truth. According to the New York Post, she is serving up bitter criticisms of tennis authorities on a gloating victory lap after getting her drug suspension reduced. But the International Tennis Federation returned the shot Thursday, essentially saying Sharapova is using revisionist history in her criticism of the ITF’s handling of her ban for using the prohibited drug meldonium. Even Maria Sharapova’s ex-boyfriend Grigor Dimitrov on Wednesday suggested she deserved her ban from tennis for a doping offence — an incident that sent shockwaves through the sport.

The administrator of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program denied it had sought a four-year ban for Sharapova, as she had stated, and rejected suggestions by the Russian that its independent tribunal was “not neutral.” The ITF also emphasized it had not known, prior to this year when the drug was put on the banned list, that meldonium was in common use by Eastern European athletes.

In an interview with Charlie Rose on national television, Sharapova was seated directly across the table from Mr. Rose, and when she discussed her use of the drug meldonium she continally broke eye contact and looked away from Mr. Rose which, based on my experience, indicated she was not telling him the truth.

Too bad. She is a fantastic athlete. But like many Russian and Eastern European athletes, decided to cheat the system. Unfortunately, she got caught.