Maria Sharapova’s threat to WTA
By Mark Hodgkinson
Last Updated: 11:32pm BST 04/05/2008
Maria Sharapova could end up being fined close to a million dollars for two separate issues relating to tournaments this week and next, and that is serious money even for the world’s highest-earning sportswoman.
The 21-year-old Siberian has already been docked $125,000 by the WTA Tour after withdrawing from the Berlin tournament last week, with the possibility of a further $10,000 penalty if she does not provide a medical reason for her no-show. And she could face a fine of up to $700,000 if she decides to boycott the WTA Tour’s official promotional shoot that has been controversially planned to take place on the eve of next week’s event here on the clay of Rome’s Foro Italico. So, in the space of a fortnight, there is a chance that her fines could total $835,000, or £420,000.
The maximum fine for skipping promotional work is usually $300,000, but that increases to $700,000 for players such as Sharapova who do not wear a tour patch on their clothes. “To ask me or any of the other players to do a long shoot like this is not right,” Sharapova said. ”The tour is not thinking about the players.”
Even if the Australian Open champion does, in the end, decide to attend the shoot, it is understood that she has not ruled out the possibility of taking legal action against the WTA Tour.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Maria Sharapova fights a losing war. She reminds me of Bobby, and I hope she does not pursue Bobby Fischer’s steps, blessed be he. She is such a great player and I like her personality (and looks, I admit) as well.
Wow, can I have fries with that shake? *hot stuff!*
She’s made a ton of money thanks to the WTA tour. Supporting the organization by showing up for a photo op is not too much to ask. What a fool.