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This tennis pro thinks Maria Sharapova is ‘a cheater’ who should have been barred for life

Maria Sharapova takes on Ekaterina Makarova during the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, on April 27.
(Ronald Wittek / EPA)
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Eugenie Bouchard thinks Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova’s doping suspension should have been longer than 15 months.

The Canadian player thinks the ban should have lasted forever.

Sharapova returned to competitive tennis Wednesday, beating Roberta Vinci, 7-5, 6-3, in the opening round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.

Bouchard commented on the return of the former world No. 1 and five-time Grand Slam champion prior to exiting in the first round of this week’s Istanbul Cup.

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“She is a cheater, and so to me, I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again,” Bouchard said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster TRT World that was posted online. “It’s so unfair to all the other players who do it the right way and are true.”

Following her win Wednesday, Sharapova said of all her critics: “I can’t control what people say, and I never have. The only thing I can control is what I do out there, and those are my words. I’m always prepared to walk the walk and I have, and I’ve done that by winning five Grand Slams and being No. 1 in the world.”

Sharapova was suspended in January 2016 after testing positive for the drug meldonium, which had been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency that year. She said she had been using meldonium for health issues since 2006 and was unaware of its inclusion on the banned-substance list.

Currently unranked because of her suspension, Sharapova qualified for the Porsche Grand Prix and other upcoming events as a wild card. Women’s Tennis Assn. CEO Steve Simon has defended the decision to let Sharapova participate in the events, telling German broadcaster ZDF over the weekend, “I don’t think a suspension should wipe out the career’s worth of work.”

Bouchard seems to disagree.

“I think from the WTA it sends the wrong message to young kids: ‘Cheat and we will welcome you back with open arms,’ ” the 2014 Wimbledon finalist and former Top 5 player said. “I don’t think that’s right, and definitely she is not someone I can say I look up to anymore.”

charles.schilken@latimes.com

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Twitter: @chewkiii

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