“There are a couple of sides of me,” Sharapova said in an interview with the AP in 2006, shortly before she won the title at Flushing Meadows. “There’s the Maria that’s a tennis player. There’s the Maria that is a normal girl. And there’s the Maria who’s a businesswoman. And that’s where the ‘Maria Sharapova brand’ comes into play.”
At the 2016 Australian Open, Sharapova tested positive for the newly banned drug meldonium and initially was handed a two-year suspension. After appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Sharapova was given a reduced penalty when it was determined that she bore “less than significant fault” in the case and could not “be considered to be an intentional doper.”
The Bryans and Sharapova will be inducted in August.
“We are thankful to so many people who supported us along the way, and we look forward to sharing this moment with them next year,” Bob Bryan wrote. “Our parents created a magical environment at their club and made tennis fun for us. They helped us fall in love with the game, so tennis never felt like work; it was always play.”
Daniel Nestor, a Canadian who won 12 Grand Slam titles in men’s or mixed doubles, did not receive the 75 percent of the vote required to qualify for the Hall in balloting among members of the media, historians, Hall of Fame members, industry experts and fans. This was his third—and final—year as a candidate.
