This prompted some to speculate that five-time grand slam victor Sharapova could escape without punishment, which was always mistaken as both she and her lawyer John Haggerty had already admitted she had been taking it, on her doctor’s advice, throughout January.
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Sharapova tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open in January and has been provisionally suspended since March.
A panel in London will hear her case to decide if the violation was an “intentional” doping offence, which would carry a four-year ban from competition and could effectively end her career.
When melodonium was listed by the Anti-doping Agency at the beginning of the year, the sports world barely rippled until Maria announced on March 7th that she had been tested positive for the banned drug. Sharapova, 29, has been taking the drug for more than a decade. “The thing is that she admitted that she had taken meldonium”.
Sharapova, who claims to know meldonium by its other name, mildronate, has been taking the drug for health reasons for the past decade as it was recommended by her doctor. Both of them took the stance that her transparency and forthright admission about using the drug were in her favor.
The Latvian-made drug is said to benefit athletes by increasing stamina and endurance.
Sharapova has been the highest-earning female athlete in the world in each of the past 11 years, according to the Forbes list.
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Almost 300 athletes across a wide range of sports have tested positive this year for Meldonium, which is said to help increase stamina and endurance.
