Tennis star Maria Sharapova announced Monday that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open. The former world champion told reporters in Los Angeles during a press conference that she tested positive for meldonium, a drug recently banned in the tennis world.
“I did fail the test and I take full responsibility for it,” Sharapova said. “It’s very important for you to understand that for 10 years, this medicine was not on WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency]’s banned list and I had been legally taking the medicine for the past 10 years.”
Adding, “But on Jan. 1, the rules had changed and meldonium became a prohibited substance, which I did not know,” she stated. “I was given this medicine by my doctor for several health issues I was having in 2006.”
The five-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 in singles also revealed that she received an email on December 22, 2015 from WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] with an updated list of banned and prohibited items, but that she failed to read that email.
“I made a huge mistake,” she later said. “I have let my fans down, and let the sport down that I have been playing since the age of four that I love so deeply. I know that with this I face consequences and I don’t want to end my career this way. I really hope to be given another chance to play this game.”
According to The International Tennis Federation, Sharapova will be provisionally suspended, pending determination of the case. The penalty for first-time offenders is two years.
Following the press conference, Nike, Porsche and luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer suspended dealings with Sharapova.
