Strycova speaks out on Sharapova return

Czech player Barbora Strycova has spoken out about Maria Sharapova’s impending return to the WTA Tour.

The 31-year-old world No.20 voiced her disapproval of the former world No.1 being allowed to compete in Stuttgart to The Daily Mail newspaper.

The Russian has a wildcard into the tournament, where organisers have guaranteed to schedule her round one match on the Wednesday her 15-month ban for testing positive to meldonium ends.

“I don’t have anything against her. What I don’t like is the rules. Suddenly she can play Wednesday, we are coming from Fed Cup and we have to play on Tuesday. This is what I don’t like,” Strycova said.

“But of course she is Maria and what can you do? I will not get pissed off about it but I’m a bit shocked actually with what is happening at the tournament in Stuttgart.”

It is an opinion that many players have shared in recent weeks, including former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki.

Strycova, who is currently ranked No.10 in doubles, was suspended for six months in 2013 for a positive drug test for sibutramine. She maintains her innocence, claiming she accidentally ingested the drug through a weight-slimming product.

Career-best results have followed in her return, but she has warned it might not be so easy for Sharapova.

“I only had six months so that’s compared to 15 months for her, that’s a big difference but you really don’t know what to expect,” she said. “To play a real match in a tournament it’s so different. I practiced nine weeks and I was so sore (after the first match), I couldn’t walk for three days but I was very happy to be back.

“You can train six hours per day but you will never train like what you give during a real match. There is the nerves, the thoughts working, the body is working differently to practice.”

Earlier this week Sharapova spoke about the positives of enjoying her life outside of tennis at an ANA Inspiring Women in Sports Conference. Strycova acknowledged she could relate to this from her own suspension.

“Of course at the beginning I was very down and upset and a little bit depressed with the way it happened and I was thinking it’s not fair. Then it also gave me positive thoughts because I was away and I was just relaxed and didn’t have the stress every day like we usually have. It helped me in the way that I could see it differently,” she said.

“I did something different, regular life, stuff like most people do. I was going to the post office, washing my clothes. It’s crazy to say but we don’t do that and we don’t see how it is in real life because on tour, this is not a real life. We have everything prepared and we are like a circus going to different countries. So it was good for me to see something different, it helped me mentally.”

Strycova has played Sharapova three times in her career, with the Russian leading their head-to-head 2-1.