Maria Sharapova Will Miss The French Open Because The French Tennis Authorities Are Dipshits

Maria Sharapova was not granted a wild card entry to the French Open’s main draw or qualifying rounds, French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli announced on Facebook Live today.

Citing the need to “protect the game” and avoid the “doubts of results,” Giudicelli exposed himself as a self-righteous dingus who is more concerned about looking tough on doping than he is about quality of competition:

With Serena Williams not playing due to her pregnancy, Sharapova—who returned to the tour in April after a 15-month suspension for testing positive for a banned substance—was the second favorite behind Simona Halep to win the French Open. She reached the semifinals in Stuttgart, was knocked out of the Madrid Open in the second round by one of her biggest critics earlier this month, and is currently playing in Rome, but she hadn’t achieved a high enough ranking to play in the French Open without a wild card.

Many people, myself included, expected Sharapova to receive at least a wild card to the qualifying round, which would have allowed her to play her way into the main draw. Instead, the two-time French Open winner, who already served her punishment for taking a supplement that had previously been allowed for years, won’t be allowed to participate in the second grand slam of the year.

With Williams out, and Roger Federer’s announcement that he won’t be playing, the French Open could’ve used a dash of Sharapova’s star power, not to mention her quality play. But thanks to an overgrown sense of self-importance, the stuffy French Tennis Federation ensured that we’ll be treated to one of the least-exciting grand slams of the year.