- Former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova tested positive for Meldonium after competing in Australian Open
- Meldonium was a medicine the Russian ace took for 10 years but it became a prohibited substance on January 1
- Received letter on December 22 from WADA informing her of changes and she admits she didn't look at the list
- Added because WADA said there 'evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance'
- Sharapova said she was taking the medicine for 'health issues' including a family history of diabetes
- International Tennis Federation confirms she will be provisionally suspended from the sport from March 12
- Hours later, she lost her most lucrative deal when Nike announced it has suspended their relationship
- On Tuesday morning Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer said its deal with Sharapova will not be renewed.
- However, Russia's tennis chief says he expects Sharapova to play at the 2016 Olympics in August
- See the latest news on Maria Sharapova failing her drug test for meldonium as Nike suspends sponsorship
Several sponsors have dropped Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova after she admitted she had tested positive for a banned substance at January's Australian Open
The
five-times Grand Slam champion dropped the bombshell at a press
conference at a Los Angeles hotel, confessing she had been found to have
taken Mildronate – or Meldonium – which was prohibited from January 1
this year.
Just
hours later, the 28-year-old lost her most lucrative deal - an
eight-year contract extended in 2010 for a reported $70million with
sportswear brand Nike, where she has her own clothing line.
On
Tuesday morning, another one of her sponsors, Swiss watch brand TAG
Heuer, followed suit, saying that its contract with Sharapova had
expired at the end of 2015 and it has pulled out of negotiations on a
new agreement.
The
International Tennis Federation has confirmed the star will be
provisionally suspended from the sport from March 12, however, despite
this, the president of the Russian Tennis Federation has said he expects
Sharapova to play in the Olympics in Brazil in August this year.
Maria Sharapova, pictured, has
announced she failed a drugs test at the 2016 Australian Open after
testing positive for Meldonium
The 28-year-old Russian tennis player confirmed the shock news at a pre-arranged press conference held in Los Angeles on Monday
Reading a written statement to a host
of journalists at the press conference, she said she took 'full
responsibility' for the test failur
In a
statement on Monday night, Nike said: 'We are saddened and surprised by
the news about Maria Sharapova. We have decided to suspend our
relationship with Maria while the investigation continues. We will
continue to monitor the situation.'
Sharapova earns $30million a year in endorsements, according to Forbes. Current endorsements include American Express, Avon, Evian, Porsche.
Avon
said on Tuesday morning that they are not commenting on their contract
with Sharapova, who is the face of their fragrance called Luck.
At a
press conference which many assumed would be to announce her retirement
after a spate of injuries, she delivered what is catastrophic news for
her, the sport and women's tennis in particular.
'I
had legally been taking this for ten years,' said Sharapova, who
conceded that she had received a notification from the International
Tennis Federation on December 22 that it was being outlawed. She
admitted that she did not follow an information link that was provided.
'I
take responsibility for my professionalism in my job and I made a big
mistake. I know there will be consequences and I don't want to end my
career this way. I really hope I will be given another chance to play
tennis again. I can't blame anyone but myself. I have let my fans down.
'I
know many of you thought I was retiring but if I was ever going to
announce my retirement it would probably not be in a downtown Lost
Angeles hotel with this fairly ugly carpet.'
'It
made me healthy and that is why I continued to take it,' Sharapova said
of the banned substance after taking a small number of questions from
the floor.
'I
am still working through my injury and that is the reason I withdrew
from Palm Springs, because I have still not healed my injury.
Sharapova,
pictured left, at the Australian Open in January dressed in Nike, and
right, attending the unveiling of the U.S. Open Nike designs at Pier 54
on August 2010
Maria Sharapova has only played three tournaments in the last eight months after being plagued with injury
Sharapova pictured in happier times with the French Open Trophy by the Eiffel Tower in Paris after winning the 2014 tournament
Speculation was
rife that 2004 Wimbledon champion (pictured with her trophy) would hang
up her racket prior to Monday's announcement
She falls to her knees in celebration (left) and poses with trophy after beating Serena Williams in 2004 fina
Asked
if she knew what the consequences of her failed test may be, Sharapova
added: 'I do not. This is very new for me, I just received the letter a
few days ago and I will be working with the ITF.'
The full statement from the ITF made clear Sharapova accepted the charge against her.
It
said: 'Following the statement made by Maria Sharapova in a press
conference today, the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) can confirm
the following:
'On
26 January 2016, Ms Sharapova provided an anti-doping sample to the
TADP in association with her participation in the 2016 Australian Open.
'That
sample was analysed by a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited
laboratory, which returned a positive for meldonium, which is a
prohibited substance under the WADA Code and, therefore also the TADP.
'In accordance with Article 8.1.1 of the TADP, Ms Sharapova was charged on 2 March with an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.
WHAT IS MELDONIUM?
Meldonium,
also known as Mildronate, was added to the new banned list of drugs
last year, which came into place on January 1, 2016.
The
drug was added to the list because the World Anti-Doping Agency said
there 'evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing
performance.'
WADA
had been observing Meldonium in 2015, adding it to its 'monitoring
programme' to determine its effects on athletic performance.
Meldonium (file picture above) was a medicine Sharapova took for 10 years but it became a prohibited substance on January 1
It
is used medically to treat ischemia, or a lack of blood flow. It can be
used as a metabolic enhancer to increase endurance through greater
blood flow.
The
Institute of Biochemistry - Center for Preventive Doping Research,
German Sport University Cologne said of the drug: 'Anti-ischemic drug
Mildronate demonstrates an increase in endurance performance of
athletes, improved rehabilitation after exercise, protection against
stress, and enhanced activations of central nervous system (CNS)
functions.'
Sharapova said she has been taking the drug since 2006 to aid in a variety of health problems.
On
December 22 of last year, WADA sent out an email indicating what drugs
would be banned starting in 2016 and Sharapova conceded that she
received but did not read that email.
'Ms Sharapova has accepted the finding of meldonium in her sample collected on 26 January.
'As
meldonium is a non-specified substance under the WADA (and, therefore,
TADP) list of Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods, Ms Sharapova
will be provisionally suspended with effect from 12 March, pending
determination of the case.'
In
response to the announcement, Steve Simon, WTA chief executive, said:
'I am very saddened to hear this news about Maria. Maria is a leader and
I have always known her to be a woman of great integrity.
'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.
'This
matter is now in the hands of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program and its
standard procedures. The WTA will support the decisions reached through
this process.'
The
28 year-old faces a ban of several years, having been informed of the
finding 'a few days ago'. She said that was unrelated to her withdrawal
from the Indian Wells event this week, as she is presently injured
anyway.
'It
is very important for you to understand that for 10 years this medicine
was not on WADA's banned list and I had legally been taking the
medicine for the past 10 years,' insisted the Russian.
'But on January 1st the rules had changed and meldonium became a prohibited substance which I had not known.'
However, Russian
tennis chief Shamil Tarpishchev dismissed the provisional suspension,
saying he expects Sharapova to represent her country at this year's
Olympics in Brazil.
"I
think this is just a load of nonsense," Tarpishchev, president of the
Russian Tennis Federation, said in an interview with the TASS news
agency.
"The
sportsmen take what they are given by the physiotherapists and by the
doctors. I think Sharapova will play at the Olympics, however, we will
need to see how this will develop."
Sharapova
claimed that she was initially given it in 2006 by her 'family doctor'
due to health issues such as a magnesium deficiency and a genetic
disposition towards diabetes.
However,
the drug which is mainly available in Eastern Europe is said to have
become a drug of choice for Russian athletes implicated of cheating in
other sports.
This
may be the end for Sharapova, who won all four Grand Slams and
transcended her own sport without ever becoming the dominant player of
her era.
However,
there was one set of rankings where she has consistently came out on
top: those produced by the likes of Forbes magazine that measure the
overall earnings of female sports stars.
The
combination of her glamorous looks, strong personality and natural
business acumen, married up with a huge tennis talent helped make her a
massive success as much off the court as on it. Those days now look
over.
Sharapova's
official career prize money stands not far short of £25 million. But
her personal fortune is many times that, thanks to her voracious
appetite for maximizing her worth.
Part
of that has been the carefully nurturing of her public image, not
unlike fellow super earner of the men's game, Roger Federer.
In
recent years she has become most synonymous with her candy line
Sugarpova, shamelessly ignoring the health lobby to very successfully
promote a high-end brand of sweets.
She
once even discussed trying to enter the US Open under the assumed
pseudonym of Sugarpova as part of a somewhat dubious marketing exercise.
None
of her fortune, estimated to be north of £100 million, would have been
possible without the endeavours on the court, which took root when she
moved from Russia to the Nick Bollettieri, now IMG, Academy in Florida,
aged nine.
That
involved a two year separation from her mother, so it was hardly
surprising that she developed a phenomenally tough persona that was to
serve her so well.
She rose to international prominence at seventeen when she upset Serena Williams to unexpectedly win the 2004 Wimbledon title.
Sharapova
was to beat the American again that summer, in her now hometown of Los
Angeles where tonight's announcement was made – and she has never beaten
her since.
The
utter dominance Williams has exercised over her in compiling a 19-2
record has come close to defining the Russian's career, and denied the
women's game the authentic rivalry it has craved in recent years.
One
reason Serena is said to play so well against her, according to one
close to the American, is a resentment that those with endorsement
dollars in their pocket have always beat a far more determined path to
the tall European blonde.
It
has helped focus the mind, as has a strong mutual dislike of each
other, which was fuelled in part by being attracted to the same man, ATP
Tour heart throb Grigor Dimitrov. Sharapova was to win that one at
least.
In recent
years Sharapova, pictured left and right, has become most synonymous
with her candy line Sugarpova, shamelessly ignoring the health lobby to
very successfully promote a high-end brand of sweets.
Sharapova's
official career prize money stands not far short of £25 million but her
personal fortune is thought to be many times that
Sharapova poses with the US Open trophy after defeating Justine Henin-Hardenne in the 2006 final
Williams
has been far from alone in disliking the statuesque Russian, and many
fans have found it hard to take to her because of her incessant
grunt-cum-wail when hitting the ball.
She
could be torturously slow between points and there was also the
practice of turning her back on her opponent between every point to
focus on the next one.
That was probably nothing personal, just the tic of an utterly determined player and superb competitor.
Sharapova
was a steady winner after the unlikely triumph at SW19, claiming the US
Open two years later and the Australian Open in 2008.
She has won 35 tour titles in all, interspersed by absences through injury.
Tall
and not a silky mover, her biggest career achievement was probably to
twice win the French Open, the Major that seemed most likely to elude
her. She mastered the art of moving on the clay sufficiently to take the
title in 2012 and 2014, despite having once described her navigation of
the red dirt as being like a 'cow on ice'.
These
kind of one-liners flow easily from Sharapova, who is often charming
and funny, as well as being the owner of a sharp tongue.
The
'Ice queen' was, for example, asked at the 2012 Australian Open to
respond to criticism of her grunting by vanquished opponent Agnieazka
Radwanska, and replied with exquisite timing 'Isn't she back in Poland
already?'.
Sharapova
has never sought to be part of any locker room sisterhood, describing
it as a lonely place. 'I think just because you're in the same sport it
doesn't mean that you have to be friends with everyone,' she once said.
However,
she is not without heart, has given plenty to charity and always
inspired loyalty among the tight team around her. Either she has let
them down, or they are culpable for not spotting this – and that is the
most innocent explanation.
Whichever way, something has gone very seriously wrong for the fallen superstar.
Sharapova's final Grand Slam win came in the 2014 French Open, where she beat Simona Halep in the final
Sharapova of Russia poses in front of the Eiffel Tower following her success in the 2014 French Open final
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