The Tennis Thread

[ChitHappens]

Poor Martha my ass. She was taking it for 10 years to enhance performance and didnt stop once it was banned PERIOD! The Russians, especially, were warned in October because they were the biggest abusers PERIOD! 

 

Sugarpimp lost 2 additional contracts.  Porsche and her Swiss watch deal. 

 

Martina and the other Hyenas all but called Queen a crackhead but Martha made a mistake! BULLCHIT!!! 

Edited March 8, 2016 by ChitHappens

[Soapsuds]

Chris Evert was just on SportsCenter and she said that the tennis world isn't giving Maria much if any support. Chris noted that Maria didn't have friends on the tour. 

It was also report that the drug she has taken for 10 years is only suppose to be taken for 4-6 for medical conditions not 10 years….LOL.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Soapsuds

[Toups]

Most athletes take stuff to heal faster, or improve their game as long as it's within the rules/limits.  If you don't think they do that, then you're really naive.   What Maria did before January 1, 2016 was legit and within the rules.   She didn't lose her Porshe deal yet - like Nike, they've just suspended those contracts. 

[DramatistDreamer]

Oh I suspect WADA will be looking into Djokovic's hyperbaric chamber (or whatever that oxygen egg he uses) sometime in the near future (LOL).

 

Yes, players do use things to heal faster and they've also faced penalties for doing so.  I remember Tamira Paszek got an injection of her own stem cells to help her heal and she was penalized for it.

 

And I can only speak for me but I definitely wasn't saying poor Martha, as she needs no sympathy- she may have started at 18 but at 28, she has no one to blame but herself.  I think the situation is sad situation for tennis which barely gets ink for the good things about it but obviously gets lots of news coverage for the bad things.  

 

As it is, I personally would be concerned about my health having taken a drug for 10 years that 9 out of 10 Doctors claim they would never prescribe to any young woman her age or in their childbearing years.  I think the investigation needs to make sure it includes an interview with that Doctor.

 

It's a fact that warnings went out as early as September of 2015 that this was headed to the Banned Substances list and the Russian Sport Federation urged their players to stop taking this drug, even setting up a Recall.  Every other Russian athlete knew that this had become a banned substance (even the ones who failed the drugs test) except for Sharapova apparently.  A drug you can only get in exactly 1 country (Latvia) that is not approved for sale in the U.S. and many other Western countries.

 

I try not to judge but at the very least, this is a case of gross negligence and disregard for long-term health.

Edited March 8, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[Soapsuds]

Maria was even talked about on The Talk.  They found it odd that she was taking that drug for her condition. 

[quartermainefan]

Well, society can pretend to believe her because she is pretty and everyone likes her, but who are we kidding?    She is yet another athlete caught with drugs.  Her heart condition excuse has me quite worried for her safety, but I imagine now that she has stopped the drug her heart will miraculously rebound never needing another dose.

[Soapsuds]

Chamber?? I have always found his rise to number 1 in the world very suspicious. He was stuck at #3 for a long time. He had so many breathing problems…not being able to last long matches and now all of sudden because of his gluten free diet he is this Rambo player…don't buy it.

[Toups]

Yeah, because it was illegal.  To me, what a person does within the legal limits of the league is fair game.  If other players, or analysts think it's wrong for players to do things/use things to help then heal or win, I would just give a big middle finger to them.  If it's legal, do it.   How many "illegal" wins did Maria have? Less than 10 maybe? That not big of a deal (to me).  I think she should give all her winnings in 2016 back - maybe spread out the money to the opponents she beat. 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Actually, at the time of injection, it wasn't: 

http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=4383289

 

It just strikes me as idiotic that someone would use a drug that most self respecting doctors wouldn't prescribe and is only made in one Eastern European country but then again, but you're right, she had the right until it officially went on the banned list to ingest this drug.  Hopefully, 20 years down the line she won't end up like those East German woman but that's her right too.

But seriously, WADA sends you a letter with a link to the banned substances list, you're taking a shady drug made in only one country, click the damn link.  

 

Edited March 8, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[ChitHappens]

Article coming out tomorrow says she was warned 5 times.  

[quartermainefan]

Every illegal win is a big deal.   Every newbie she beat, consigning that player to anonymity and no future in tennis is a big deal.   In baseball, every steroid enhanced strikeout that denied a no-name a home run that would establish a career worth millions is a big deal.   Every home run that sends a new pitcher to the minors because they lost..every drug induced result is a big deal, or should be.    You just know Maria, but do you know who it is her drugs beat and kept number 269 in the world or whatever? 

[DramatistDreamer]

I don't have a subscription to The Times of London newspaper so I couldn't read the full article but from what I did read, Sharapova was warned "no less than 5 times that the drug she was taking was to be added to the banned list".

[Soapsuds]

I am surprised that it took a long time to ban that drug. It hasn't been approved in USA at all. 

[DramatistDreamer]

It was on WADA's Watch List but I'm not sure for how long.  It much mainly some Russian athletes taking it, but as the numbers started grow, it started to gain notice.  The former Russian male figure skater, Yevgeny Plushenko said that Russian athletes were popping meldonium like they were Vitamin C tablets.

 

Morality aside, what strikes me as scary about this drug that the even the Latvian manufactures claim that the drug was only supposed to be taken for 4-6 weeks! I'd be worried about what long term effects this drug could have on my body.

 

 

[Soapsuds]

LOL

Exactly she has been taking it for 10 years now.