Sharapova: Imagine if Serena Williams failed drugs test

By and large, the world’s media have been pretty kind to the tennis ‘darling’ Maria Sharapova on the news that she failed a drugs test last month by using a banned substance.

With a multi-million pound brand, Sharapova took to the airwaves like a seasoned ‘House of Cards’ politician ready to damage-limit a disastrous situation. The remorseful star explained that she’d been taking the performance enhancing drug for over a decade. Furthermore, she added that it wasn’t until a few months ago that it was on the banned substance list, and that she didn’t know about the changes.

All fairly plausible, except that Sharapova is no ordinary sports star, she’s not only the highest paid female tennis star in the world; she’s also the highest paid sportswoman on the planet too.

Some writers have already pointed out that it is inconceivable that her vast team of managers, nutritionists and other medical advisers would not have known about these changes.

What’s even more interesting, particularly for those who have seen the way that the media have treated both Serena and Venus Williams over the years, is how they would have treated the two sisters, particularly Serena, if it had been the other way round.

For years Serena’s strength and ability have been cited as an unfair advantage to other players; the inference being that she’s already cheating. No other woman in the history of sport has received so much abuse, racial or otherwise on her quest to be number one. Her biggest sin then, winning. Imagine, just for a second what 'dog’s of hell’ would be unleashed if it was Williams - not Sharapova - who had taken a banned substance.

Interestingly, if you look at a basket of 100 headlines involving Sharapova and the failed drugs test, you’ll struggle to find the word, ‘cheat’ in them. And whilst intent must always be a key factor; many of us know that Serena Williams would not be afforded that ambiguity.

I write this short piece not to pour scorn on Sharapova, but rather to put in context the unnecessary pain the media, the tennis world and certain sections of the public have thrown at a true champion who has consistently won with heart, soul and skill, not performance enhancing drugs.

Simon Woolley