Feature Maria Sharapova Fails Drug Test by Ricardo Goodridge March 7, 2016 Maria Sharapova In a shocking revelation, five-time grand slam champion, Maria Sharapova admitted in a press conference, earlier today, that she failed a drug test during the Australian Open. Sharapova stated that she received a letter informing her that during the Australian Open she tested positive for the banned substance meldonium. Meldonium, a drug used mostly in European countries, treats heart problems and help the circulation of oxygen in the body. Sharapova stated that she had been using the drug for ten years for health reasons and was unaware that it became a banned substance as of Jan 1, 2016. In her press conference, Sharapova went on to state that she takes full responsibility for the oversight and will accept the consequences for her actions. With that said, Sharapova hopes this “mistake” doesn’t prevent her from continuing to play tennis or tarnish her tennis career. Sharapova’s punishment is at the full discretion of the International Tennis Federation, ITF. The ITF can decide to punish Sharapova for multiple years or go easy on her and give her a minimal sanction if they believe it was an honest mistake. The ITF has already determined that Sharapova will be suspended starting March 12, while they make their final decision. Post Views: 1,353 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Ricardo Goodridge Ricardo is the lead Tennis Analyst here at DoubleGSports.com Latest posts by Ricardo Goodridge (see all) What we learned from the 2018 U.S. Open - September 11, 2018 Three Things to Look for at the 2018 U.S. Open - August 27, 2018 Empire Win Final Match of the Season - August 3, 2018 Empire Continues Losing Streak Against Breakers - July 27, 2018 Related TopicsAustralian OpenInternational Tennis FederationITFMaria SharapovaTennis Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 Michael Jordan Could Change the Future of Nascar for the Better by Inesh Chari | posted on March 30, 2021 WNBA Rolling Out Red Carpet For Upcoming 25th Anniversary Season by Jason Cordner | posted on March 16, 2021 More in Feature You Know I’m Right, Episode 113: New York Post Columnist Phil Mushnick (Audio/Video) On the 113th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) On the 112th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 111: New York Giants’ Insider John Schmeelk (Audio/Video) On the 111th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) On the 109th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... The positive effects of a potential brand split in WWE Women In Sports: Q&A with New York Knicks City Dancer, Jess Attardo