She said she wants to stay in tennis – the sport that has made her rich beyond her wildest dreams even as her talent has arguably gone unfulfilled. I did fail the test and I take full responsibility for it. It is important for me to come out and speak about this…because throughout my long career I have been very open and honest about many things.
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ESPN reported that the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has not specified what sanctions will be given to Sharapova after failing the drug test. However, her lawyer John Haggerty described the length of penalties that could include sanctions and years of being banned from playing the sport. “I really hope that I will be given another chance to play this game”.
One of the best female tennis players of her generation, Sharapova said at a news conference yesterday that she had been taking meldonium for health reasons for a decade and had not noticed when it was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency as of January 1.
“I had several health issues going on at the time”, Sharapova said, according to Reuters. I believe Sharapova will nevertheless play at the Olympics.
Sharapova, now sidelined with a forearm injury, hasn’t competed since losing to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January.
Meldonium (also known as Mildronate, THP, MET-88, Mildronāts or Quaterine) is a clinically used anti-ischemic drug that is now manufactured and marketed by Grindeks, a pharmaceutical company based in Latvia.
Sharapova has struggled with her shares of injuries in the past year as she withdrew from last year’s U.S. Open with a right leg injury.
Yes. In fact, just hours before Sharapova announced her positive test, fellow Russian Ekaternia Bobrova also admitted to using the drug. Earlier this month, another Russian, cyclist Eduard Vorganov was suspended after testing positive for the drug.
Sharapova has 35 career singles titles and over $36 million in career earnings.
Yuri took odd jobs like dishwashing to finance his daughter’s dreams while visa restrictions meant mother Yelena was back in Russian Federation, separated from her daughter for two years. She is now No. 7 in the WTA rankings after playing just three tournaments and the Fed Cup final in the last eight months since Wimbledon due to injuries.
She made nearly $30 million in 2015, according to Forbes, with $23 million of that coming from endorsements. “Maria is a leader and I have always known her to be a woman of great integrity”.
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What is meldonium and why did Maria Sharapova take it? “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”. Sharapova, 28, burst onto the global scene as she giggled and grunted her way to the Wimbledon crown in 2004. She won the US Open in 2006, the Australian Open in 2008 and the French Open in 2012 and 2014.
