"You're not sorry, you just don't want to be cancelled" - Tennis fans react to Eugenie Bouchard's apology over Maria Sharapova dig
Eugenie Bouchard recently deleted a post containing a contentious remark aimed at Maria Sharapova. The remark sparked widespread outrage among tennis fans on the internet.
Bouchard defeated Sharapova in Madrid back in 2017, in what was the latter's second tournament since her doping suspension. The Canadian also recently beat Dayana Yastremska, who was recently under surveillance by the World Anti-Doping Agency for having a banned substance in her urine sample.
After her first-round Madrid win against the Ukrainian, Bouchard turned to social media to take a dig at Sharapova, with her tweet recalling their 2017 clash.
"There's something about playing dopers in Madrid,” Bouchard tweeted after her win over Yastremska.
The remarks received extensive criticism, forcing Bouchard to take down the post. This was followed by an apology tweet from the Canadian.
"I want to apologize for my tweet yesterday. It was a lapse in judgment, and unnecessary. Though I’ve always championed fair play, I didn’t have all my facts in order and certainly didn’t mean to cause harm. I’m going to continue to work on myself going forward, both on and off the court," her tweet read.
I want to apologize for my tweet yesterday. It was a lapse in judgment, and unnecessary. Though I’ve always championed fair play, I didn’t have all my facts in order and certainly didn’t mean to cause harm. I’m going to continue to work on myself going forward, both on and off… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Tennis fans continued to voice their opinion on the matter though, with a section of them claiming that Bouchard's apology was not sincere and that she posted it merely to avoid legal repurcussions.
"You're not sorry, you just don't want to be cancelled. Bye," a fan wrote.
@geniebouchard You're not sorry, you just don't want to be cancelled. Bye
Another fan opined that Bouchard's initial remarks were "aggressive" and "premeditated."
"Didn’t mean to cause any harm”? Cough cough, BS! The wording of the tweet was 100% aggressive in nature, and clearly premeditated," their tweet read.
“Didn’t mean to cause any harm”? Cough cough, BS! The wording of the tweet was 100% aggressive in nature, and clearly premeditated. twitter.com/geniebouchard/…
Here are a few other reactions from fans:
@geniebouchard Just stop tweeting
@geniebouchard It is not the first time so why an apology? because you didn’t receive the response you expected?
@geniebouchard You're an embarrassment. You need to stop playing tennis immediately.
@geniebouchard When you’ve had 1/20 of the career Maria Sharapova had, call us back. You couldn’t handle the pressure for one season and you’ve been blaming the world for your failings ever since.
@geniebouchard Gal… ur just less cocky now that you lost
@geniebouchard Still the same exact person you were yesterday and the day before that. 2 minute twitter apology doesn’t change that 🤷♂️
Can’t even say she’s cancelled because she’s already irrelevant. Bye girlie twitter.com/geniebouchard/…
@DKTNNS She ended up hurting herself. You could tell on her match today that her mind was not there. She tweeted herself out of the tournament.
Eugenie Bouchard labeled Maria Sharapova a "cheater" following latter's return from doping suspension in 2017
Eugenie Bouchard labeled Maria Sharapova a "cheater" following the latter's return to the tour after a 15-month doping suspension back in 2017.
Sharapova tested positive for meldonium, a banned substance that increases blood flow, which drew a hefty ban of two years. The ban was later reduced to 15 months.
Reacting to the doping scandal, Bouchard opined that Maria Sharapova was a "cheater" and that she should be banned from playing tennis.
"I don’t think that’s right. She's a cheater," Eugenie Bouchard told TRT World. "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."
Bouchard squared off against Sharapova at the 2017 Madrid Open just days after those remarks. Bouchard won 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 against the Russian to advance to the third round.