'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chris Evert said that players' lack of support to Maria Sharapova regarding her doping ban stemmed from the fact that the Russian did not have a lot of friends on tour.
Sharapova failed a drugs test for meldonium in 2016, and was provisionally suspended from tennis that March.
The Russian did not receive much support from the rivals and Evert opined that the reason behind that was the former "isolating" herself from the tennis world and not having too many friendships on tour.
“It’s hard to tell because Maria Sharapova has always isolated herself from the rest of the tennis world, from the players," Evert told ESPN as quoted by the Herald Sun. "She’s made that known, she can’t be friends with the players. Her friendships are outside of the tennis world, she’s isolated herself. So it’s hard."
Chris Evert also said that she was not expecting a lot of support from Sharapova's peers towards her, something she did not find surprising.
“I’m not seeing a lot of support from a lot of the players. I think everyone is being mum about the subject right now. Whether it’s shock or whether they don’t want to become involved or have an opinion about it. It’s sort of surprising that not a lot of players have shown their support for her," Evert said.
Maria Sharapova was initially suspended for two years but it was later reduced to 15 months. The Russian returned to action in April 2017.
Maria Sharapova reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal after her return from suspension
Maria Sharapova was a regular on the WTA Tour after returning from suspension, with her best performance at a Grand Slam being reaching the quarterfinals at the 2018 French Open.
She beat the likes of Richel Hogenkamp, Donna Vekic and Karolina Pliskova to reach the fourth round, where her opponent was Serena Williams. The American withdrew from the tournament and Sharapova reached the quarterfinals, where she was beaten 6-2, 6-1 by Garbine Muguruza. That year, she also reached the semifinals of the Italian Open and the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.
Sharapova won just one singles title since 2017, which was at that year's Tianjin Open. She beat Irina-Camelia Begu, Magda Linette, Stefanie Voegele and Peng Shua before defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The Russian did not drop a single set en route to her title run.
Maria Sharapova announced her retirement from tennis in 2020, with that year's Australian Open being her last tournament.
