With support from “a lot of players,” Bouchard beats Sharapova in Madrid

“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.”

That’s what Genie Bouchard had to say about Maria Sharapova two weeks ago when asked about the Russian’s comeback to tennis following a 15-month performance-enhancing drug suspension. Needless to say, those comments set the stage for a highly-anticipated second-round showdown at the Mutua Madrid Open on Monday.

The battle did not disappoint, as Bouchard outlasted Sharapova 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 after two hours and 51 minutes. Unsurprisingly, the Canadian also made headlines in her post-match press conference.

“I was actually quite inspired before the match because I had a lot of players coming up to me privately and wishing me good luck–players I don’t normally speak to and getting a lot of texts from people in the tennis world that were just rooting for me,” Bouchard said. “I wanted to do it for myself but also for all of these people. I really felt support.

“I still have the same opinion about Sharapova. It showed me that most people have my opinion, and they were just maybe scared to speak out.”

When asked about the handshake, Bouchard responded, “[Sharapova] said, ‘Well played.’ I think she’s been playing really well in her so-called comeback–if you want to call it that. She was playing well today, so it was tough.”

Serena Williams, who has also been a part of Sharapova-related controversy, liked Bouchard’s post-match tweet. It is one of just 82 tweets that Williams has liked on Twitter.

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