Genie Bouchard toldTRT World that she does not believe fellow tennis player Maria Sharapova should ever be allowed to play the sport professionally again (h/t TMZ Sports):She's a cheater and so to me ... I don't think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again. It's so unfair to all the other players who do it the right way and are true. So, I think from the WTA it sends the wrong message to young kidscheat and we'll welcome you back with open arms.I don't think that's right and ... [she's] definitely not someone I can say I look up to anymore because that's definitely ruined it for me a little bit.Sharapova returned to WTA play on Wednesday at thePorsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, beatingRoberta Vinci 7-5, 6-3. She had been serving a 15-month ban after testing positivefor meldonium, a drug that was prohibited by theWorld Anti-Doping Agency in Jan. 2016, perJill Martinof CNN.Sharapova claimed at the time she didn't realize the drug had been banned, and that she was taking it for various medical reasons.Sharapova's return has not been without controversy. She was only able to play in Stuttgart after being granted a wild-card berth, which she has also received for tournaments inRome and Madrid. And it remainsunclear if the French Open would grant her such a berth if she doesn't accumulate enough points to automatically qualify.More than a few players weren't pleased to see Sharapova return in such a fashion, however."It's disrespectful to other players," Caroline Wozniacki said of Sharapova's wild-card status, perEric Willemsen of the Associated Press (via theCBC).Wozniacki further elaborated at Indian Wells in March, tellingShaun Assaelof ESPN,"When a player is banned for drugs, I think that someone should start from the bottom and fight their way back."Sharapova, meanwhile, just seemed happy to be back on the court."I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," she said after the win."Yes, you're rusty and you're trying to get the rhythm again," she added. "It's my first match in a while, but this is what I've done for so long, and when you're in the moment, you try to block everything out, and you compete. And I'm a competitor by nature, even when things are not working. That's what I do."
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