The Tennis Thread
Discussion
It's bloody hilarious. All the crap that I have had to put up with mates moaning about cyclists doping and now Sharapova gets caught red handed. The notion that 'it's just me and my family doctor' is laughable and I found the press conference nauseating. A cheat is a cheat and Sharapova is to blame. She was either complicit or poorly advised, both are solely due to her actions. No sympathy whatsoever and I can almost hear the simultaneous flushing of loos at all major tennis events as we speak 
There are of course an interesting set of arguments about whether she was genuinely taking this for reasons other than performance enhancement, about the fact she sourced it from outside the US, about the fact it had a different name to that on the banned list, etc, much of which is briefly alluded to already in this thread
We will never get fully satisfactory answers to all that
But the bit I am genuinely baffled by is how a multi million dollar corporation, which is effectively what she is, with no doubt a manager, nutritionist, coach, fitness coach, nike relationship manager, etc had to rely on opening an email, downloading a list and having the same drug name in that list, rather than pro-actively checking the list every month and cross referencing it against what the player takes in every language/name possible. It seems at the very least, like gross negligence at a level I just don't get. For the highest paid female athlete on the planet to not have plans & back-up plans and back-up back-up plans to prevent this happening is something I'm really struggling with - gross incompetence at the highest level, or hiding something more ?
We will never get fully satisfactory answers to all that
But the bit I am genuinely baffled by is how a multi million dollar corporation, which is effectively what she is, with no doubt a manager, nutritionist, coach, fitness coach, nike relationship manager, etc had to rely on opening an email, downloading a list and having the same drug name in that list, rather than pro-actively checking the list every month and cross referencing it against what the player takes in every language/name possible. It seems at the very least, like gross negligence at a level I just don't get. For the highest paid female athlete on the planet to not have plans & back-up plans and back-up back-up plans to prevent this happening is something I'm really struggling with - gross incompetence at the highest level, or hiding something more ?
JNW1 said:
Europa1 said:
hornetrider said:
I also have this POV. If it's legal, it's legal. She should have a 'team' who are on top of this s
t - the buck stops with them.
Nike have just ditched her and no doubt others will follow. She's not on her uppers of course, but that's gonna sting.
No, the buck stops with her.t - the buck stops with them.Nike have just ditched her and no doubt others will follow. She's not on her uppers of course, but that's gonna sting.
t. They should probably be out of a job about now.jonby said:
But the bit I am genuinely baffled by is how a multi million dollar corporation, which is effectively what she is, with no doubt a manager, nutritionist, coach, fitness coach, nike relationship manager, etc had to rely on opening an email, downloading a list and having the same drug name in that list, rather than pro-actively checking the list every month and cross referencing it against what the player takes in every language/name possible. It seems at the very least, like gross negligence at a level I just don't get. For the highest paid female athlete on the planet to not have plans & back-up plans and back-up back-up plans to prevent this happening is something I'm really struggling with - gross incompetence at the highest level, or hiding something more ?
Exactly. If I was in charge of monitoring substances for a pro tennis player the banned substances list would be something I would refer to on a daily basis, there would be absolutely no chance than any update to the list could be missed. It just seems such a massive over sight to not have covered?944fan said:
Justices said:
Wow, big move from Nike.
Indeed. Previously Nike have not seemed at all bothered by being associated with doppers. They gave Gatlin a new deal when he returned after they previously terminated their deal when he was caught.It's all about the money/exposure. The ethics of using a (2 time) drug cheat as advertising is far down the list of issues.
ewenm said:
944fan said:
Justices said:
Wow, big move from Nike.
Indeed. Previously Nike have not seemed at all bothered by being associated with doppers. They gave Gatlin a new deal when he returned after they previously terminated their deal when he was caught.It's all about the money/exposure. The ethics of using a (2 time) drug cheat as advertising is far down the list of issues.
yonex said:
It's bloody hilarious. All the crap that I have had to put up with mates moaning about cyclists doping and now Sharapova gets caught red handed. The notion that 'it's just me and my family doctor' is laughable and I found the press conference nauseating. A cheat is a cheat and Sharapova is to blame. She was either complicit or poorly advised, both are solely due to her actions. No sympathy whatsoever and I can almost hear the simultaneous flushing of loos at all major tennis events as we speak
This whole thing with Sharapova has a nasty whiff about it and I just hope it doesn't open a can of worms with other high profile players being found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs (which equates to cheating in my book however which way you spin it). The reason people have moaned about drugs in cycling is because it's been endemic in that sport for years; I'd like to think tennis won't find itself in the same boat but if it does that won't make cycling clean (it just means their checks have been more rigorous and hence they've known they've had a problem for longer). I could go back several years on this forum and find posts which suggested that a top player or two was about to be "outed" for taking drugs but that was more in the context of the men's game and nothing ever came of it; just hope for the sake of the game that Sharapova doesn't prove to be the first of many but if there's a real problem in tennis the sooner the nettle's grasped the better....JNW1 said:
yonex said:
It's bloody hilarious. All the crap that I have had to put up with mates moaning about cyclists doping and now Sharapova gets caught red handed. The notion that 'it's just me and my family doctor' is laughable and I found the press conference nauseating. A cheat is a cheat and Sharapova is to blame. She was either complicit or poorly advised, both are solely due to her actions. No sympathy whatsoever and I can almost hear the simultaneous flushing of loos at all major tennis events as we speak
This whole thing with Sharapova has a nasty whiff about it and I just hope it doesn't open a can of worms with other high profile players being found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs (which equates to cheating in my book however which way you spin it). The reason people have moaned about drugs in cycling is because it's been endemic in that sport for years; I'd like to think tennis won't find itself in the same boat but if it does that won't make cycling clean (it just means their checks have been more rigorous and hence they've known they've had a problem for longer). I could go back several years on this forum and find posts which suggested that a top player or two was about to be "outed" for taking drugs but that was more in the context of the men's game and nothing ever came of it; just hope for the sake of the game that Sharapova doesn't prove to be the first of many but if there's a real problem in tennis the sooner the nettle's grasped the better....It might be distasteful to think that competitors are using dodgy yet legal pharmaceuticals to enhance their performance, but you have to accept that they are only required to play by the rules, not by some stricter moral code.
In tennis, you could level a moral accusation against the performance enhancing grunting as being an advantage and off-putting for the opponent. It's still legal though.
ewenm said:
I suspect most players who were using what Sharapova was, stopped using it at the end of 2015 when it became illegal (or at least, outside the rules). It's up to the athlete to maximise their performance within the rules, including taking legal supplements that enhance their performance. Caffeine is another example.
It might be distasteful to think that competitors are using dodgy yet legal pharmaceuticals to enhance their performance, but you have to accept that they are only required to play by the rules, not by some stricter moral code.
In tennis, you could level a moral accusation against the performance enhancing grunting as being an advantage and off-putting for the opponent. It's still legal though.
Agree with most of that; it's up to the authorities to draw-up and communicate the list of banned substances (and then police it) and if something's not on there then by definition a player is entitled to use it. However, things like excessive grunting is more of a grey area IMO as at what point does gamesmanship cross the line and become cheating? Suppose the answer is that the rules on these things need to clear and enforced but the latter is not something tennis is terribly good at; for example, how many times do players like Djokovic and Nadal get away with taking too long between points when they're serving?It might be distasteful to think that competitors are using dodgy yet legal pharmaceuticals to enhance their performance, but you have to accept that they are only required to play by the rules, not by some stricter moral code.
In tennis, you could level a moral accusation against the performance enhancing grunting as being an advantage and off-putting for the opponent. It's still legal though.
JNW1 said:
The reason people have moaned about drugs in cycling is because it's been endemic in that sport for years; I'd like to think tennis won't find itself in the same boat
It is in the same boat. There are no degrees of cheating. Cycling is massively scrutinized and nothing surprises me any more, every athlete is looking for an advantage. Competitive sport is full of cheats, period.
yonex said:
JNW1 said:
The reason people have moaned about drugs in cycling is because it's been endemic in that sport for years; I'd like to think tennis won't find itself in the same boat
It is in the same boat. There are no degrees of cheating. DocJock said:
Err, the whole purpose of the drug in question is to increase oxygen uptake and increase physical endurance.
My only surprise is that it has avoided the banned substances list until now.
Agree, obviously, but especially with the second.My only surprise is that it has avoided the banned substances list until now.
One thing that bemuses me is that her team didn't pick it up. Isn't it their job?
One answer might be that they didn't know she was popping pills. Keeping it secret is one way of ensuring no one goes to the press for a consideration.
Her Family Doctor prescribed it to her I think he needs to be asked some questions .
Young Girl struggling with the big girls looks for something that will help her train harder and longer and recover quicker but isn't on the banned list?. Lots of questions rather than her just being forgetful.
Young Girl struggling with the big girls looks for something that will help her train harder and longer and recover quicker but isn't on the banned list?. Lots of questions rather than her just being forgetful.
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