Maria Sharapova wins at WTA Stuttgart amidst Eugenie Bouchard criticism

Maria Sharapova concluded her 15-month suspension for her positive test for Meldonium on Wednesday. The Russian was back on WTA courts in Stuttgart, Germany, where she defeated Roberta Vinci in straight sets 7-5, 6-3. The result will see Sharapova advance to the 2nd round where she will face Ekaterina Makarova, a player that defeated Agnieszka Radwanska in the first round of the Stuttgart tournament on Tuesday.

Sharapova interviewed after her match

Sharapova's return has generated a lot of buzz in the media. Not surprisingly, she faced reporters after her victory over Roberta Vinci in a lengthy interview.

Eugenie Bouchard voices criticism of Sharapova

During the interview reporters were often congenial and respectful of Sharapova. However, she hasn't received respect from a lot of the competitors that she should be seeing on the court in the months ahead. Eugenie Bouchard, the underachieving Canadian player, was critical of the WTA accepting Sharapova back.

“I don’t think that’s right,” Bouchard said of Sharapova's Wednesday return in Stuttgart. “She’s a cheater and so, to me, I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again" (Bouchard qtd. by SportsNet writer David Singh).

According to Bouchard, allowing a cheater back into a sport is "Unfair to all these players who do it the right way and are true." Of course, a counterpoint to that is that Sharapova was suspended for a very long time, as her ban lasted over a year.

That's a longer time than a lot of other athletes that have been suspended in the past.

Arguably Bouchard twisted things around a bit when she said "I think from the [Women's Tennis Association] it sends the wrong message to young kids: ‘Cheat and we’ll welcome you back with open arms.'" Arguably the message is that if you cheat you'll receive a lengthy suspension and only be welcomed back after you served it.

Bouchard is like Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska, players that want Sharapova punished over-and-above the punishment that she has already served.

Makarova will likely play a tough match against Sharapova at this point in her comeback. However, it's not like Sharapova beat a slouch in the first round of Stuttgart as Vinci is a very dangerous player too.

Anett Kontaveit also advanced in Sharapova's section, taking out French Open champion Garbine Muguruza. With the first round complete, Sharapova needs four more wins to claim a title, something that will mark her return to tour.