Bouchard: support for me shows many share my views over Sharapova

Canadian Eugenie Bouchard knocked Maria Sharapova out of the Mutua Madrid Masters in a three set marathon, which finished late on Monday night before explaining to the press how important her win was against a player she had accused of cheating.

The victory saw Sharapova crash out of the second round as she continues her return to the WTA circuit following her suspension after being detected for using meldonium, during the 2016 Australian Open.

Bouchard had been critical of the Russian in the past, even going as far as calling her a "cheat", and admits she viewed the win as justification for her words.

"I was extra motivated, I had never beaten her before and there were other circumstances..." said the Canadian in her late night press conference.

Bouchard explained that "a lot of players had come up to me in private to wish me luck, players who I usually don't speak to. And I also received a lot of messages from people in the world of tennis she said.

The Canadian believes that these shows of support make it clear that Sharapova's return is not popular with many of her peers.

"It shows that the majority of the people have the same opinion that I have and although they are worried about speaking out in public, they will speak in private. I received a lot of support from them and that is why I was so inspired," she commented after her 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 victory.

"I wanted to win for them," said Bouchard, who added she still had that "same opinion;" about Sharapova. Endit