Former fifth racket of the world Anna Chakvetadze: Sharapova is a business, it’s too early to cross

Anna Chakvetadze is a winner of eight singles tournaments and a semi-finalist at the US Open. Photo: Anna Chakvetadze/Facebook

Former fifth racket of the world, Russian tennis player Anna Chakvetadze, in an exclusive interview with ForumDaily, told about how a loud doping scandal threatens her former partner in the Russian national team Maria Sharapova.

Как reported by ForumDaily on Monday, the highest paid woman in the world of sports admitted at a press conference in Los Angeles that she had been found to have doping at the Australian Open in January of this year, after losing the quarter-finals to American Serena Williams.

The drug mildronate is prescribed mainly for heart disease, including chronic heart failure. However, it is also popular among athletes, because it increases the efficiency and endurance of the body under stress.

Now the former first racket of the world, Sharapova, who won a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympiad, is likely to miss the upcoming summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, since the period of suspension for doping is usually at least one year.

Anna Chakvetadze, who after the completion of her career, works as a tennis commentator on TV, is the owner of eight championship titles in singles, as well as the winner of two Team Federation Cups in the Russian team.

What was your first reaction to the news about the positive doping test of your former partner in the Russian national team Maria Sharapova?

I was really shocked because this is serious news. When the special press conference was announced, there was not even a thought that everything would be so sad. I thought it would be a question of the injury that caused her to be shot from the last tournament. The doping statement was frankly discouraged.

Why did Maria decide to act ahead of the curve without waiting for the announcement of the disqualification?

I think Maria found out about this right after the Australian Open, after which she missed all of the following tournaments, including even the Team Federation Cup [as part of the Russian national team]. Apparently, at first the question was in a suspended state, but now, when doping was discovered, there was no point in waiting. Given the complexity of the moment, she - well done, stood with dignity. Of course, there are questions about who prescribed this drug for her, whether she works with pharmacists this season, and whose fault it was from representatives of her team.

Can it just happen that a tennis player with such a big team that works with her makes a mistake?

I think maybe. The tournaments are usually driven by a trainer and a physiotherapist who is more involved in the muscles and stretch marks of athletes. We were always afraid that, God forbid, if you swallow a pill, you should definitely consult with your doctors. It is clear that in tournaments, especially large ones, doctors are always present, but there is nothing but antibiotics and painkillers. Unless vitamins of one firm which precisely do not adjoin with any other medicines and in which are precisely sure. I think Maria is the kind of person who prefers to consult with her personal team. If she has been taking this drug for 10 for years, and only this year he is on the banned list, I think there should be some relief from the point of view of punishment.

What have you heard about this drug called mildronate? Is it possible to say that pharmacology plays a big role in tennis?

I read that this drug increases stamina, and is also prescribed for ischemic disease. I do not quite understand how an athlete receiving such high loads with heart disease to perform 10 for years. But I'm not a doctor, it's hard for me to judge. When I was still playing (Chakvetadze ended her career in September 2013 - approx. FD), the anti-doping program has noticeably tightened. Tennis players should fill out some forms almost every day, notify anti-doping agencies about where they are. At 5 in the morning, commissioners can come and check for doping. Every year it was very strange to see only two or three tennis players or tennis players who are disqualified, but they are so low in the ranking that these names are not at all popular. Perhaps there was some calm before the storm.

Is there any chance for Maria to perform at the Olympics in Rio, which starts in 5 months already?

I think there are chances. Maria's lawyer said that there is also a sample of doping test “B”, which Maria asked not to open. She admitted that she really took this drug so that the anti-doping departments did not delay and did not conduct an additional investigation. I think the team Sharapova analyzed this situation, but she has a very experienced team, and in terms of PR there is nothing to complain about. Probably, this was done precisely because the chance to play at the Olympics remains. Generally, as they say, the punishment may be from 2 to 4 years, but, I think, she will be disqualified for about six months, which will allow her to perform at the Olympics (the disqualification period will be counted in this case from the moment the Australian Open is over - note FD). I believe, they can take into account the fact of recognition from her side, her cooperation with the International Tennis Federation and the fact that she has been taking this drug for 10 years.

Tennis authorities, in fact, are interested in Sharapova, who is considered by many to be a real role model in sports, to continue to perform, including at the Olympics. This star status Sharapova can play a role in deciding on the period of disqualification?

Of course, even if to abstract from tennis, Maria is known all over the world both as an athlete and as a business woman, many people are oriented towards her, children want to be like her. It turns out that a huge business is tied to one athlete, and, of course, no one wants to lose profit.

It has already become known that the company Nike temporarily suspended sponsorship with Sharapova. Can other major companies of the world with which she has multi-million contracts be turned away from her?

I think this option is not excluded, some sponsors may refuse to cooperate. However, you can remember no less scandal with Martina Hingis (The former first racket of the world announced her retirement in 2007 after the discovery of cocaine in her blood - approx. Fd), which recently returned and performs wonderfully in doubles, occupying the first line of the world doubles rating. And somehow everyone has already forgotten what was almost 10 years ago. I don’t know how much Maria plans to play, but I think she will still play.

Everyone knows a fierce confrontation, over the course of 12 years, between Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams. Williams always emphasized that she respects Sharapova, and always with a special spirit played against her. How much depends now on the reaction of Serena and her possible censure?

The situation is no longer the best, therefore, I do not think that any censures will aggravate the situation. There will certainly be censures, I'm not talking specifically about Serena right now. It is difficult to look into the future and tell how Serena will react to this story, but I doubt that her words can cause serious damage to Masha.

Even if we assume that Sharapova will return to the court, how much is a strong blow to her image? Can the whole world believe in some kind of randomness in the form of a missed message in an e-mail, or will its name now be inextricably linked to doping?

Of course, this is very serious, and the image will not be restored immediately. It will take some time. Much depends on how Maria will behave, how she will act not only on the court, but also outside the court. I think the managers and PR people who work with her will try to do everything correctly and minimize the damage from this story as much as possible. Damage to the image of Maria Sharapova, of course, will be inflicted, but how serious it will be, while difficult to assess. Although, to be honest, we were not friends, this situation is very unpleasant for me, and I would not want to put an end to Maria’s career.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Sharapova caught on dope and can miss the Olympics in Rio

New film about the Russian doping mafia: murder, deception, scam

In Russia, died an official involved in the doping scandal in athletics

The former head of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory was employed in Los Angeles

Russia convicted of bribes for concealing doping cases of athletes

All you need to know about the doping scandal of Russian athletes

America hid doping violations of its athletes

Go to the page ForumDaily on Facebook to keep abreast of the latest news and comment material.