Sharapova misses out on French Open wild card after doping

PARIS (AP) — Two-time champion Maria Sharapova has missed out on a wild-card entry for the French Open because of her doping ban.

Announcing the decision on a live Facebook broadcast on Tuesday, French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli said he told Sharapova in person.

Sharapova initially was given a two-year suspension after testing positive for the banned heart drug meldonium at last year's Australian Open.

Italian Open organizers were the first to offer Sharapova a wild card, and they were criticized for not giving one to former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, an Italian.

[...] on Monday, fans cheered and held up signs of encouragement for Sharapova, a three-time Rome champion, during her first-round match.

[...] Roland Garros invests a lot — along with the other Grand Slams, the ATP, and the WTA — into the fight against doping, he said.