“That is one of the medications, along with others, that I received”, Sharapova said, “I know that with this I face consequences and I don’t want to end my career this way.
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Since former world number one Sharapova admitted using meldonium, Russian sports officials have said a number of other competitors have taken the substance, which is used to treat diabetes and low magnesium, and more names could emerge.
Sharapova is thought to be the world’s highest-paid female athlete due to endorsement deals and her extensive business ventures, including a high-profile candy line, Sugarpova.
The 28-year-old, whose rags-to-riches story was the stuff of Hollywood dreams, now risks a ban of up to four years which could see her carefully constructed marketing empire collapse.
Sharapova’s major sponsors Nike, Tag Heuer and Porsche have all distanced themselves from her since her announcement.
Pound, who was the first president of WADA and held office from 1999 to 2007, said he could not understand how Sharapova allowed herself to be in this situation, given the high stakes involved, both professionally and financially.
“I am sorry, if you are running a $30 million a year sole enterprise you better make sure the basis for that commercial success, if nothing else, remains unassailable”, Pound added in the interview with the AP on the sidelines of the Tackling Doping in Sport conference at Twickenham Stadium. You are taking something on a list, which you have known about for four months.
“She is taking something that is not generally permitted in her country of residence (the United States) for medical purposes, so she says, so there must be a doctor following this”.
Many elite athletes were taking meldonium – the drug that led to the suspension of tennis star Maria Sharapova this week – before it was banned earlier this year, a new study reveals.
“So, to just say that you didn’t notice it had been added to the list will not be considered the excuse to totally evaluate an sanction”. You have October, November, December to get off what you are doing.
A person close to Sharapova told Reuters her team was encouraged that none of the sponsors so far have said they were terminating contracts with the player, although they had the right to do so. “That is reckless beyond description”.
“This is a strict liability issue and to test positive, as it were, for a prohibited substance is a strict liability matter”, Verroken told Sky Sports News HQ.
But American skincare firm Supergoop, of which Sharapova is co-owner, said on Wednesday that it will “continue to support her as the ITF (International Tennis Federation) investigation unfolds ” .
“We regret this, but at the same time this situation should not be projected onto the whole of Russian sport”.
Maria Sharapova reacts as she addresses the media about her failed drug test in Los Angeles on Monday.
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“As Maria said, she’s ready to take full responsibility”, Williams said. She has not competed since she lost to Serena Williams in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January. Her long-term adversary, the world No1 Serena Williams, with whom she has a strained relationship, said: “Most people were happy that she was upfront and very honest and showed a lot of courage to admit to what she had done and what she had neglected to look at”.
