Wimbledon set to strip Sharapova of membership

Wimbledon could expel Maria Sharapova as a member after she was banned for two years for breaching doping regulations.

Russia’s Maria Sharapova has been banned for two years.

Wimbledon could expel Maria Sharapova as a member after she was banned from tennis for two years this week for breaching doping regulations.

Sharapova earned her honorary membership 12 years ago, when she won the singles title, but a well-placed source from within the All England Club confirmed that the management committee will meet when this year’s tournament is over in mid-July to discuss whether she should be thrown out.

All singles champions are invited to take up honorary membership, though the tradition was broken in 1981 when John McEnroe was snubbed because “his on-court behaviour brought the game into disrepute”. McEnroe was invited to become a member two years later when he won his second title.

Martina Hingis, the 1997 ­singles champion, was also suspended for two years but did not have her membership rescinded. Hingis was playing at Wimbledon in 2007 when she tested positive for cocaine, though the drug was deemed to not enhance performance.

To avoid legal complications, no final decision is likely to be taken until the completion of any appeal with the Court of ­Arbitration for Sport. The ­Russian insisted on Monday that her punishment was “unfairly harsh” and she plans to appeal on the grounds that the three-man independent tribunal found that she did not intentionally ­violate anti-doping rules.

Wimbledon chairman Philip Brook leads the Tennis Integrity Board, but the game’s anti-­doping authority is administered by the sport’s governing body and he was not involved in deciding the length of Sharapova’s sentence.

Evian joined Nike and Head, two of the Russian’s other ­sponsors, in standing by her yesterday.

Evian said in a statement: “The tribunal concluded that Maria Sharapova’s contravention was not intentional. Evian has decided to maintain its long-­lasting relationship with the champion.”

The 29-year-old has earned an estimated $270 million from her various sponsors.

Watchmaker Tag Heuer and Porsche are waiting to see the outcome of Sharapova’s appeal. Tag Heuer did not renew its ­contract with her after her admission in March of the failed test but has not ruled out the chance of reconciliation.

“We now have some time and as she is suspended for two years, we are not in a hurry to sign a new contract,” said Jean-Claude Biver, the Swiss company’s chief executive.

However, Avon cosmetics is sticking by its decision to part with Sharapova as the face of Luck perfume, although it insists that it is nothing to do with her suspension.

The Times