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Sharapova's initial two-year suspension was reduced to 15
months after she tested positive at the 2016 Australian Open for
meldonium, a medication the Russian had been taking within the
rules but which was then reclassified as a banned drug.
Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency list of
banned substances at the start of 2016 after mounting evidence
that it boosted blood flow and enhanced performance.
"Why didn't someone come up to me and have a private
conversation, just an official to an athlete, which would have
taken care of the confidentiality problem they talked about
later?" the 29-year-old said in an interview with The Times.
Sharapova did, however, say that she had become "complacent" and
was responsible for failing the drug test.
"Ultimately the fault was mine," she added. "I had been getting
clearance on everything I was taking for seven years and I
became complacent."
Sharapova is due to return to competitive action at the
Stuttgart Grand Prix which starts on April 24.
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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