Maria Sharapova Uses Olympics 2016 Suspension To Get Better Instagram, Trades In Tennis For Harvard
Maria Sharapova is having major FOMO for this year’s Olympics, which she can’t compete in due to her suspension. But the Russian tennis player is trying put a good face on for her fans and using the time to pursue things that she couldn’t because of her busy schedule. One of them is definitely stepping up her Instagram game!
The 28-year-old tennis player has been retweeting her fans’ messages that mention she won silver at London Olympics four years ago. Though her suspension stopped her from pursuing another medal, Maria Sharapova still wants to be part of the hype.
? #HappyFace https://t.co/QPjug8QufQ
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) August 4, 2016
And just because she can’t play tennis professionally, that doesn’t mean that she has thrown in her towel and racket. She posted a picture on her now beautifully curated Instagram of her playing beach tennis with her friends.
All the people at the beach birthday party were probably clamoring for a chance to play with a world class tennis player!
Maria Sharapova received her two-year suspension when the authorities found out that she used melodium, which became a banned substance in January 2016.
“A ruling on Maria Sharapova’s appeal of her two-year doping ban has been postponed until September, ruling her definitively out of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,” reports the New York Times. “The Court of Arbitration for Sport said that Sharapova and the International Tennis Federation had agreed to defer the decision, which had been expected to be issued by next Monday. The court said that both parties wanted more time to prepare their cases and cited ‘scheduling conflicts.'”
She has tried to appeal the ruling in time for Olympics 2016, but they were not able to expedite her request.
Not being able to play professional tennis has vastly opened up her schedule, giving her the opportunity to attend seminars and conferences hosted by Harvard to develop her candy company, Sugarpova.
#BTS from the class room. 'Microsoft and Sugarpova learning something new today at Harvard' pic.twitter.com/sUY55uBRBk
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) July 1, 2016
She also has been traveling with her family, taking the time to enjoy the party scene in Los Angeles where she lives and trains, eating delicious food, and showing off her new experiences on Instagram.
But Maria has not been neglecting her training, showing the world that when she comes back from her two-year suspension, she will be stronger and in much better shape than ever before.
Before she was banned from the games, she was fighting against various injuries and trying to heal them in a way that would not disrupt her career. Now, with this much time off, Maria Sharapova has the chance to heal all the ailing parts of her body to come back strong in her thirties.
Maria isn’t the only one missing Olympics 2016. So is the Russian track and field team, as well as the Russian Paralympics team. In a major sports scandal, both teams were banned for pervasive doping.
“Russia’s track and field team is barred from competing in the Olympic Games this summer because of a far-reaching doping conspiracy, an extraordinary punishment without precedent in Olympics history,” reports the New York Times.
The article reported that the allegations were both broad and detailed, revealing that Russian track and field stars were “given a three-drug cocktail of banned substances and liquor” and that “authorities helped athletes evade drug tests by surreptitiously swapping out tainted urine” and destroying “thousands of incriminating samples.”
While it’s in Maria’s favor to not become associated with these doping allegations, but the fact that they are all Russian makes it hard for the authorities overlook the pattern.
[Image Via Maria Sharapova/Instagram]
