Maria Sharapova Fails Drug Test At Australian Open

At a press conference in Los Angeles today, Maria Sharapova announced that she had failed a drug test. The International Tennis Federation had informed Sharapova that she had tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open in January.

The ITF added meldonium to its list of prohibited substances at the beginning of 2016. (According to this paper from Drug Testing and Analysis, while principally indicated for patients who have a weak blood supply to the heart, the drug is also associated with “an increase in endurance performance of athletes, improved rehabilitation after exercise, protection against stress, and enhanced activations of central nervous system (CNS) functions.”) Sharapova claimed that she hadn’t checked the updated list for the drug she had been taking for approximately a decade:

The 28-year-old didn’t disclose if she had been suspended or banned by the federation, but mentioned that she hopes to return to the sport:

Photo: AP

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