Sports fans mostly think about doping when a scandal breaks, but for professional athletes, doping controls are part of everyday life. Following the announcement of a four-year ban for Romanian Simona Halep, Women’s Tennis Blog asked top WTA players in San Diego about their trust in the institutions that have immense but invisible power over their lives and careers.
Maria Sakkari: “It’s just scary. We’re gonna get to the point where we’re not gonna be taking even electrolytes.”
The 28-year-old Maria Sakkari expressed frustration with the mental burden placed on players with an outdated and unreliable testing regimen.
The way they’re handling every situation with any player or any athlete, it’s just scary. We’re gonna get to the point where we’re not gonna be taking even electrolytes. Thankfully, I haven’t been in that position and I never want to be there. I’m being very careful with anything that has to do with supplements.
The world number nine from Greece explained just how odd of a stressor this necessary practice can be:
I wake up almost every night to use the bathroom and if that’s close to my time slot then I’m just thinking ‘Do I go? Do I not go? Do I just wait, if they come?’ It’s just something very stressful.
Despite her frustrations…
