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BREAKING NEWS MARIA SHARAPOVA FAILED DRUG TEST | FACES FOUR YEAR BAN FROM TENNIS

2,284 views · Published 7 March 2016 · 2:41 · Indexed 12 November 2026

Channel: Shady Slim · 2016 · Sports

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BREAKING NEWS MARIA SHARAPOVA FAILED DRUG TEST
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http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/14922282/maria-sharapova-announces-flunked-drug-test-australian-open

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/spo...


Maria Sharapova: “I made a huge mistake”      Maria Sharapova Announces Failed Doping Test

Maria Sharapova said Monday that she had been notified by the International Tennis Federation that she tested positive for a banned substance at the Australian Open in January.

She said she had been taking Mildronate since 2006. Mildronate is also known as Meldonium, which was added to the prohibited list this year.

Sharapova said she received an email from the World Anti-Doping Agency in December that noted changes to tennis’s program for 2016. She said that the email included a link to a list of banned substances, but that she did not look at it.

Maria Sharapova announced Monday that she Last fall, WADA said Meldonium was included on the prohibited list because of evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance. Sharapova is at least the seventh athlete to test positive for the drug this year.

No penalty has yet been announced for Sharapova.




She won five Grand Slam singles titles and claimed each of the four majors — the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the United States Open — at least once. Her most recent Grand Slam title came at the French Open in 2014.

failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January.

She said that she just received a letter March 2 from the International Tennis Federation but has not yet found out what her penalty will be. The ITF confirmed the failed drug test and said she would be provisionally suspended until the case can be finalized.

Sharapova's penalties could range from a multiyear ban to a minimal sanction with no suspension if officials believe she made an honest mistake.

"I take great responsibility and professionalism in my career every day. I made a huge mistake," Sharapova said. "I let my fans down. I let my sport down."
Sharapova said she was taking the drug meldonium for 10 years to address a number of health issues. She said that she had been getting the flu every couple of months, had irregular EKGs and had evidence of diabetes, which runs in her family. She said that on Jan. 1, rules changed to make the drug illegal, but she was not aware.

"I know with this that I face consequences," she said. "I don't want to end my career this way, and I really hope I'm given another chance to play this game."

Meldonium is manufactured in Latvia. It is used in Lithuania and the Russian Federation but is not approved by the United States' Food and Drug Administration. A number of other athletes have tested positive for the drug since Jan. 1: ).

Sharapova addressed rampant speculation that she was going to announce her retirement.

"If I was going to announce my retirement, it wouldn't be in a downtown Los Angeles hotel with this fairly ugly carpet," she said.

Sharapova said she tested positive in an in-competition test at the Australian Open, where she lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals on Jan. 26. Sharapova hasn't played since while recovering from a forearm injury.

Sharapova has 35 career singles titles and over $36 million in career earnings.

Sharapova also is thought to be the world's highest-paid female athlete due to her extensive business ventures and endorsement deals. Forbes estimated her earnings at $29.5 million for 2015, with $23 million from off-court ventures.

Sharapova has been among the best players of her generation since bursting onto the scene as a 17-year-old Wimbledon champion in 2004, beating Williams in the final. She won the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008 before finally completing the career Grand Slam with French Open titles in 2012 and 2014.

She became the world's top-ranked player in August 2005 and held the ranking five times for 21 weeks during her career. While she never came close to matching Williams' 21 Grand Slam titles, her five Grand Slam titles rank behind only Serena and Venus Williams among active players.

Sharapova was born in Russia and lived briefly in southern Sochi before moving to Florida as a child to begin her tennis career. She lives primarily in the Los Angeles area now.

WTA CEO Steve Simon released a statement after Sharapova's announcement.

"I am very saddened to hear this news about Maria," he said. "Maria is a leader and I have always known her to be a woman of great integrity. Nevertheless, as Maria acknowledged, it is every player's responsibility to know what they put in their body and to know if it is permissible. This matter is now in the hands of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program and its standard procedures. The WTA will support the decisions reached through this process."

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