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 The 28-year-old Sharapova, a five-time grand slam champion and the
highest paid woman in sports, will be provisionally suspended
starting March 12, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said.
She is the seventh athlete in a month to test positive for
meldonium, which is used to treat diabetes and low magnesium, and
was only banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as of Jan. 1.
"I made a huge mistake. I let my fans down and I let the sport
down," said Sharapova, a teenage tennis prodigy who became the
third-youngest Wimbledon champion. "I take full responsibility for
it."
"I know that with this I face consequences and I don't want to end
my career this way. I really hope that I will be given another
chance to play this game," former world number one Sharapova told a
news conference in a downtown Los Angeles hotel.
Nike <NKE.N>, the world's largest sportswear maker, said it was
"saddened and surprised" by the news and released a statement saying
it was putting ties on hold with the player.
"We have decided to suspend our relationship with Maria while the
investigation continues," it said.
The ITF's anti-doping program calls for a four-year suspension for a
positive test, but that ban can be reduced in various circumstances,
such as for first-time offences or if the player shows no
significant fault or negligence.
If a player bears no fault or negligence, there is no suspension.
TAKEN MELDONIUM FOR 10 YEARS
According to Forbes, she earned $29.5 million in 2015, mostly from
endorsements.
Sharapova said her family doctor had been giving her mildronate,
which is also called meldonium, for 10 years after she frequently
became sick, had irregular EKG results, a magnesium deficiency and a
family history of diabetes.
"It is very important for you to understand that for 10 years this
medicine was not on WADA's banned list and I had been legally taking
the medicine. But on January the first, the rules have changed and
meldonium became a prohibited substance."
WADA declined to comment until ITF issues a final decision.
Meldonium is used to treat chest pain and heart attacks among other
conditions, but some researchers have linked it to increased
athletic performance and endurance. It is listed by WADA among its
prohibited metabolic modulators, along with insulin, and some
researchers say it can also help recovery.
It is not approved in the United States but is available in Russia,
Latvia and other countries in that region.
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.
Sharapova is the most prominent tennis player to test positive for a
banned substance in recent years.
Croatia's Marin Cilic was banned for nine months in 2013 after
testing positive for a prohibited stimulant, though the suspension
was cut to four months on appeal.
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Former world number one Martina Hingis retired after receiving a
two-year suspension for a positive cocaine test in 2007, though the
Swiss denied taking the drug.
WTA SADDENED BY NEWS
Last year, the sport banned U.S. player Wayne Odesnik for 15 years
after his second doping violation, testing positive for steroids and
other banned substances.
Sharapova is the biggest name in sport to test positive since New
York Yankees baseball slugger Alex Rodriguez was banned for a year
in 2013 after using performance-enhancing drugs and American cyclist
Lance Armstrong was banned for life from racing in 2012 after a U.S.
Anti-Doping investigation.
Sharapova, one of the most popular figures in global sports, has
long been a favorite with her sponsors. Cosmetics maker Avon
Products Inc <AVP.N> declined to comment on its endorsements.
Steve Simon, CEO of the Women's Tennis Association, said in a
statement he was saddened to hear the news.
"Maria (Sharapova) is a leader and I have always known her to be a
woman of great integrity," he said.
"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. The WTA will support the decisions reached through
this process."
The news came a day after Sharapova's management team said she was
going to make a "major announcement," which had many speculating
that she was going to announce her retirement from professional
tennis.
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.
Renowned for her never-say-die approach, a gritty baseline game and
high-decibel shrieking, Sharapova at 17 became the first Russian
woman to win Wimbledon when she beat Serena Williams 6-1 6-4 in the
2004 final.
That victory also made her the third-youngest Wimbledon champion,
behind only Lottie Dod and Hingis, and the fourth-youngest grand
slam winner in the open era after Hingis, Monica Seles and Tracy
Austin.
(Additional reporting by Joseph Ax, Jon Herskovitz and Victoria
Cavaliere; Editing by Lisa Shumaker/Peter Rutherford/John O'Brien)
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