Needless to say, the reaction poured in as the five-time Grand Slam winner’s future is up in the air.
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The 28-year-old Russian tested positive for meldonium, a drug used to treat chest pain and heart attacks, among other conditions, at January’s Australian Open.
Over the past month, Russian cyclist Eduard Vorganov, Russian figure skater Ekaterina Bobrova, Ethiopia-born athletes Endeshaw Negesse and Abeba Aregawi and Ukraine biathletes Olga Abramova and Artem Tyshchenko have all tested positive for meldonium.
Maria Sharapova, who has struggled with a series of injuries in recent years, has not competed since she lost to Serena Williams in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January. Forbes estimated her earnings at $29.5 million for 2015. It’s not yet clear what penalty Sharapova may face.
Catlin confirmed meldonium is not available in the United States – “it’s not approved for human use by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)” – and said he did not know how Sharapova had allowed a positive test to happen.
Meanwhile, Nike has suspended its contract with the tennis star.
Tag Heuer followed Nike’s response by deciding not to renew their contract with Sharapova which runs out at the end of the year.
“It’s just taking responsibility, which she admitted that she was willing to do and ready to do”, Williams said.
Meldonium was added to banned list following, according to WADA, “evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance ” “. The company would continue to observe the situation arising out of the drug test failure.
“We are saddened and surprised by the news about Maria Sharapova”, Kejuan Wilkins, a spokesman for Nike, said. “She showed a lot of courage and a lot of heart”.
The tribunal will also be keen to hear how regularly Sharapova had taken the drug, especially as the Latvian manufacturers said yesterday that it was normally prescribed for periods of just four to six weeks, though the treatment can be repeated two or three times a year. “I have been playing since the age of four a sport that I love so deeply”, said Sharapova, a teenage tennis prodigy who became the third-youngest Wimbledon champion. Sharapova said she received an email with information on the changes in December, but did not read the information at the time.
“She is taking something that is not generally permitted in her country of residence for medical purposes, so she says, so there must be a doctor following this”, Pound said. So why the claim she was cheating all those years?
Marat Safin, who on Tuesday became the first Russian elected to the Tennis Hall, agreed, noting that it’s not uncommon for players to miss that a substance has been added to the banned list.
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However, not all is willing to vilify Sharapova with the Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpishchev calling the drug test scandal “nonsense” and said he thinks she will still play at this year’s Olympics.
