Sports
A day after tennis star Maria Sharapova thanked her fans for their “loyalty” after revealing that she had failed a drug test at this year’s Australian Open, Rafael Nadal proclaimed himself innocent of doping.
Not that anyone had asked. At least, not specifically.
Insisting that he was a clean player who considered himself an ambassador of the sport, Nadal said he was tired of the rumors swirling around him for years and defended his training regimen and rehab methods for various injuries as completely legal and aboveboard.
All because a reporter had asked for his reaction to the Sharapova bombshell that she had long used the drug meldonium, a substance banned by the International Tennis Federation just this year.
Nadal’s defensiveness indicated that he and his colleagues on the circuit know all too well where the whispers and side-eyes will now turn. Publicly, Sharapova’s colleagues largely support her, with even chief rival Serena Williams backing her unconditionally.
And yet there remains an undercurrent of unease.
Truth be told, interest in women’s tennis tends to wane when Williams and Sharapova are not in contention for a Grand Slam title. And despite the formidable presence of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, the men’s game, too, has lost much of its flair, with the ever-colorful but oft-hurt Nadal a shadow of his former self and the stoic Roger Federer nearing the end of a legendary career.
So the last thing the sport needed was a drug scandal touching one of its few remaining stars, especially as buzz that it has had a “doping problem” for years was finally beginning to die down.
Nadal will likely always play under a cloud. And it doesn’t help that Sharapova, one of the sport’s most marketable players – and one who had been considered above suspicion – has been caught cheating. Still, it is telling that, even as Nadal expressed compassion for Sharapova’s plight, he was quick to add that, as she did the crime, she must do the time.
That part, he needn’t worry about. She will be provisionally suspended starting Saturday. And while how long she’ll be exiled has yet to be determined, she’s already begun losing millions in endorsement money.
Meanwhile, back at Melbourne Park, Australian Open fans, used as they are to keeping their eye on the ball, may find their attention wandering over to Nadal’s half of the court – and their minds wondering.
