Maria Sharapova has filed an appeal for the two-year ban she received from the International Tennis Federation over her use of the banned substance meldonium in the leadup to the Australian Open this year.
The 29-year-old tennis player, who has won five Grand Slam titles, requested in her appeal requested that the ban be either completely eliminated or reduced. It has been suggested that the ITF were originally angling for a four-year ban, which would effectively spell an end to her career.
Her appeal added that she believed she had been given an “unfairly harsh suspension because she is such a famous athlete and they wanted to make an example out of her”.
Sharapova’s argument continues along the lines she laid out before she was banned: she says she didn’t know meldonium had been banned, and she was using the drug for legitimate medical reasons. She admits that she was still using the drug past the ban date.
Please see my statement on the ITF’s decision on my Facebook page: https://t.co/UuuGLCR5lY
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) June 8, 2016
The tennis star failed two separate tests – one which was conducted out of competition, and one taken in the aftermath of her Australian Open quarter-final defeat. Both have been treated as a single violation, for which she was given the ban.
Source: BBC.
Photo: Getty Images / Kevork Djansezian.
