Nov 02: “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same…” the famous lines of Rudyard Kipling are inscribed on the doorway to the Centre Court of Wimbledon.
This quotation is a chronicler, which defines the spirit of game and to keep its fervor going. And to say it goodbye, to be not able to play again, to be not able to stand in the court to take battle is an emotional issue for a player who puts his or her life in the game.
Drug abuse is not uncommon but as old as tradition of game itself, sometimes players do it to enhance their performance and sometimes unaware of the content of drug they self medicate for minor illness.
In a tear full moment ‘Swiss Miss’ Martina Hingis announced her retirement in Zurich after admitting that she is under investigation for a positive test of cocaine.
She pleaded that she is innocent though she had failed the drugs test during this year’s Wimbledon.
"I have tested positive but I have never taken drugs and I feel 100 per cent innocent," Hingis said.
"The reason I have come out with this is because I do not want to have a fight with anti-doping authorities,” she said.
She told that it is also because of her age and her health problems she has decided to retire from the professional tennis.
Martina reacted on the result of the tests by the International Tennis Federation, saying "I find this accusation so horrendous, so monstrous, that I have decided to confront it head-on by talking to the press."
She told, "They say that cocaine increases self-confidence and creates a type of euphoria.
"I would think that it would be impossible for anyone to maintain the co-ordination required to play top-class tennis,” she added further.
Martina known for hitting accurate drop shots said, “My weapon on the tennis court is and always was one single thing: the game, the ingenuity on court. And for this style of tennis, there is only one performance enhancer: the love of the game.”
While reading the statement her voice was choked as she was struggling with her tears ready to roll down her cheeks.
Martina, a former numero uno tennis player won 5 Grand Slam titles and 9 Double Grand Slam Titles. This is her second goodbye to the game first retired in 2003 due to her persistent ankle injury. Her come back in 2005 was not as successful but in 2006 she managed to mark her presence once again by winning Australian Open, her first Mixed Double Grand Slam Title with Mahesh Bhupathi.
Martina after losing to Laura Granville in the third round of Wimbledon was taken for a regular drug test in the month of June and she was informed that her sample was positive, this left her shocked.
Generally player’s identities are kept secret until any official ruling is made.
This is also the first instance that professional tennis has unified anti doping program and is administered by International Tennis Federation.
This is the second major incidence this year, earlier Marion Jones admitted taking steroids before Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics and announced her retirement from the world of sport.
The world which go into raptures over their idol who win the game but take few moments to forget them, a player who is driven by pressure, name, fame cannot imagine themselves exiting from the game so early and they take this path with uncertainty.
But Martina while uttering following words has a different story to tell “And frankly, accusations such as these don’t exactly provide me with motivation to even make another attempt to do so”.
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