Ответ всем, кто против Шараповой
ГЕНДИРЕКТОР ТУРНИРА В МАДРИДЕ: "ТЕ, КТО ПРОТИВ ШАРАПОВОЙ, НЕ ОБЯЗАНЫ ПРИХОДИТЬ НА ЕЕ МАТЧИ"
Генеральный директор турнира в Мадриде Жерар Цобаниан подчеркнул, что российская теннисистка Мария Шарапова полностью заслужила wild card на участие в соревновании. Шарапова в конце апреля вернулась на корт после 15-месячной дисквалификации за употребление мельдония. Она уже получила wild card на турнир в Штутгарте, где добралась до полуфинала. Владелец турнира в Мадриде Ион Цириак был против выдачи ей спецразрешения.
- Мария уже отбыла 15-месячную дисквалификацию и имеет полное право играть. Она отличный игрок и привлекает больше внимания, чем любая другая теннисистка, не выигрывавшая турниров "Большого шлема". Она многое отдала теннису.
- Но владелец турнира, Ион Цириак, видимо, не хотел давать Шараповой wild card.
- Он занимает более жесткую позицию, и его можно понять. Когда он возглавлял Олимпийский комитет Румынии, были подобные ситуации во время Олимпиады, и он более радикален в данном вопросе. Я беседовал с ним, и он понимает мою точку зрения. Шарапова вышла и перед всеми признала свою ошибку. Препарат не выводится из организма долгое время, и были сомнения по поводу того, проинформирована она или нет. В конце концов, Мария многое перенесла и вернулась на корт.
- Не окажет ли ситуация с Шараповой негативного воздействия на популярность турнира?
- По поводу всех решений есть мнения за или против, но я - ответственный за бизнес и я стараюсь сделать для турнира как можно лучше. Думаю, что сегодня большинство хотят видеть на корте чемпионов, и я не хочу их лишать этой возмоожности. Те, кто против, не обязаны прходить и наслаждаться игрой Шараповой.
"Sharapova does not have to put herself at the end of the line and prove that she is very good or knows how to play tennis"
Gerard Tsobanian, president of the Mutua Madrid Open, tackles the controversial return of the Russian to the tracks
ALEJANDRO CIRIZA
Madrid 3 MAY 2017 - 0
At the gates of a new edition of the Mutua Madrid Open , the name of Maria Sharapova sounds strongly in the world of tennis. The Russian, punished for 15 months by doping, will return to parade through the Caja Magica after reappearing last week in the Stuttgart arena . The German, Spanish and Roma matches are the three that have so far granted an invitation to the tennis player, whose return has generated a deep debate among the players, players and all levels of the circuit. Gerard Tsobanian (Paris, 52 years old), president and CEO of the Madrid event, was the person who gave the final blessing to the presence of Masha in Madrid.
Question. Why did you decide to give Sharapova an invitation?
Answer. There are several reasons, but above all she has already paid her sentence. That is, Maria has already fulfilled her punishment, for 15 months, and therefore has every right to play now. She is a great player and attracts more attention than any other tennis player who has not won titles or Grand Slams during her career. We talked about a great champion who has demonstrated what she can do and who has given a lot to tennis.
Q. Mentions a sporting criterion but, to what extent has the marketing intervened ?
A. It logically influences, because there is much talk about the case, but I decided to give the invitation in November and then we did not make it public nor did we advertise on the street. Then it was not all that media. Now it is because many media and other players have opined and a debate has been created, but if you ask me about whether to have invited her we will sell more tickets, the answer is that there will not be a big difference, honestly. At the sponsor level, nothing. When I gave the invitation I did not do any commercial calculation or marketing calculations .
P. How was the decision process?
A. We have a committee and we speak it internally. We discussed it calmly and analyzed the points of view of each one. Then the final decision is made. There was unanimity here, but it has already been seen that there is not, that is clear.
The attitude that she had during the punishment can be an example for other athletes
P. But apparently the owner of the tournament, Ion Tiriac, was not in favor of granting the wild card , is not it?
R. Tiriac has a slightly harder position and I understand it, because when he was president of the Romanian Olympic Committee he lived doping cases during the Olympic Games and he has a very radical position in this regard. I talked to him and he understood my point of view. Sharapova stepped out in front of everyone and acknowledged her mistake. The product she consumed was not on the list for many years and there were doubts as to how she was told she could not take it anymore ... In the end, Maria has suffered a lot and has returned to the track being a better person; Not as a better athlete, but as a better person. He appreciates sports much more and is much more aware of the luck he has had to play tennis and live the life he has lived.
Q. Did you intuit that all this could reach so much media impact ?
A. I have not asked for it, but it has come because it has generated a debate in the public space. She has fulfilled her punishment and period. I can not be more judge than the judge or WADA and apply a greater punishment. I am the person who organizes a tournament, I have been told that this girl can play and if I can give her a hand because she has given a lot to the sport, I do. I repeat, I think that from now on Maria will be a better person and more humble. In the end, I think the attitude she has had can be an example for other tennis players and other athletes.
Q. That's what many other players and players criticize and criticize. That a good example is not transmitted to society .
A. She was punished, that first. She made a mistake and was punished. It's as if someone got out of jail and nobody gave him a job, right? It's as if someone comes out of jail and you introduce yourself and say: this has come out of jail, so I must have the job before him. Why? Why? No further punishment should be applied to a person who leaves jail. That person wants to find work and has already paid. You want to get back into society, do not you? In this case, I evaluate the candidates who want an invitation and decide based on the quality they have as athletes. I simply choose the best. It's like an interview to look for work. That is my judgment. Everyone has their opinion. I did not want to be another judge. If the Anti-Doping Agency had decided that he could not play more, he would understand, But they decided it was 15 months and then I could go back. I have no right to punish her any more. It may be seen as an aid, but in any case it is an aid to reintegrate a punished person.
Q. But the fact of giving an invitation can not be a grievance for other players who have been struggling for many years?
A. I repeat: Maria is not just any player, but a champion, a star who has won great titles and deserves a little more attention. You do not have to put yourself at the end of the line and prove again that you can play tennis. She knows how to play, because she showed it in the past and also in her return, in Stuttgart, where she reached the semifinals. Need to prove something, stand in line and start from scratch? Sorry but no. I see it differently from those critical players. He has had enough time to reflect. I have been with her and I have seen that she is very happy to be inside the circuit again. She is a creamy competitor and she really needed it. I thought it was the right thing and Manolo Santana shares my opinion.
Q. How do you think the public in Madrid will receive it?
A. There are different opinions, but our world today allows each one to freely express their opinion. I think there will be a bit of everything, but in the end the Spanish public knows tennis and sports very well. The previous years Maria played here and many people came to see her, so I think they will respect her for who she is.
Q. Regardless of the impact of Sharapova's return to Madrid, how much can the tournament compensate for all the noise? Can the image be damaged?
A. Look, in 2005 I launched the concept of model models and criticized me very much. I was told that I was using women and that I was a sexist. In the end it was something that made the tournament talk. There are always people who say, for and against, but in the end I am like the person in charge of a company and I have to do the best for this company. I think people today want to see great champions on the track and not that I punish more a person. Why am I going to punish Maria and the fans who want to see her? Those who criticize her do not have the need to come and see her and those who want to see her have the opportunity to enjoy their game. The public of Madrid is going to see another great champion again. I do not force anyone. She asked for the invitation, I accepted and no one is obliged to anything.
Q. It's still up for grabs whether he will play at Roland Garros or not. If they decided not to invite him in Paris, would the tournaments that did?
R. Roland Garros is a tournament like us, right? It may have more history than the one in Madrid, but in the end it is a tennis tournament. The French Federation has its own evaluation criteria, but they are not the judges of world tennis. If Maria does not receive an invitation in Paris would not be something that would discredit us. They will decide what they consider the best for them.
Q. Apart from Sharapova, what other attractions will find those who decide to go to the Magic Box to see tennis?
A. Is not enough reason that the best tennis in the world comes a week a year to Madrid. That's not enough, is it? It is a sufficient argument. They are already 16 editions. Each year this tournament is more recognized and more established. It is the sixth tournament in the world. Thanks to the players and the fans we have achieved a privileged place. Ticket sales have increased by 30%, so people value the event. Our bet is to be an innovative and avant-garde tournament. We dare to do things that traditional tournaments can not afford: the pickups, the blue sand of 2012, the led lights of the central track ... These are things that we were the first. We have never been afraid to get out of the classic way. The blue earth was a mistake, but you have to progress. This is like a company and we should always improve. We must demonstrate that our tournament lives in our time, not in the past. That is our philosophy.
We are innovative. We have never been afraid to get out of the classic way
Q. And how are things with the City Hall? How is the relationship of the Mutua Madrid Open with the Consistory of Manuela Carmena?
A. I have seen four mayors pass since 2012. It is normal that each of them needs a time of adaptation to know who works and to know us. But regardless of that, the Madrid tournament can not be politicized. It is not a political tournament, but a sporting event. It is the message that I transfer to my interlocutors. The tournament attracts very positive things for Spain and for the city. It is a high level event, which is broadcast in 180 countries. We want to move the world a dynamic image of the city of Madrid. The mayors are smart people and they value it. It is not an event that should be associated with a political party.
Q. To be finished. The tournament also coincides with a great moment of Rafael Nadal. Does it arrive at a perfect time?
A. He is a phenomenon. It is not an athlete that we will be able to find or photocopy easily. We highly value his presence here and he feels very comfortable on clay. When this stage of the year arrives Rafa changes his mind and feels powerful. It regenerates. We are happy to receive you every year and now we are very happy that you are well and not injured.
Q. To close, what about Serena Williams's pregnancy?
A. She is another great champion. Life changes, she is no longer a child and is thinking about her future and her family. It is so and it is very normal. In life there are things much more important than tennis.
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Молодцы!!
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Но по сути - ничего нового. Все медиа принадлежат 10-15 богатейшим семьям, которые проводят согласованную политику. А их газетёнки/журнальчики/тв-каналы талдычат все одно и то же. Люди давно уже научились не доверять тому, что там пишут. Случай с Машей типичный пример. Люди не хотят жить и любить по чужим указкам. Так что аншалги Маше обеспечены.