Sharapova Admits to Failing Doping Test
Maria Sharapova said the International Tennis Federation had notified her that she tested positive for a banned substance at the Australian Open in January.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS on March 7, 2016. Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.Watch in Times Video »
Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion and the world’s highest-paid female athlete, announced Monday that she had tested positive for the recently banned drug meldonium at the Australian Open.
The tennis antidoping program confirmed the positive test, which occurred Jan. 26, the day Sharapova lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals. Sharapova, who has not played since because of a forearm injury, will be suspended provisionally Saturday pending a ruling in the case.
The commercial fallout was swift. Nike, one of Sharapova’s longtime sponsors, announced in a statement that it was suspending its relationship with her “while the investigation continues.” Sharapova has her own clothing line with Nike, with whom she signed an eight-year extension in 2010 that could reportedly be worth up to $70 million.
Sharapova, a 28-year-old Russian who is one of the world’s most visible sports figures, is by far the most prominent athlete to be barred for meldonium, a drug originally developed in Latvia for heart patients that aids blood flow and is not approved for sale in the United States.
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