Former world No.1 Maria Sharapova has accused the International Tennis Federation (ITF) of incompetence as she nears the end of her doping ban.
Sharapova hasn’t played a match since the 2016 Australian Open after testing positive for Meldonium. Also known as mildronate, the drug was made a prohibited substance on January 1st last year by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The Russian was slammed with a two-year ban by the ITF before winning a successful appeal to reduce the sentence to 15 months.
Throughout the entire controversy, the five-time grand slam champion has maintained that she was unaware the substance was banned. Speaking to The Times in an exclusive interview, Sharapova has now claimed that the governing body knew she was consuming meldonium before it was banned. According to the Russian, officials were made aware of her drug consumption in November 2015 when she took part in the Fed Cup.
“Why didn’t someone come up to me and have a private conversation, just an official to an athlete, which would have taken care of the confidentiality problem they talked about later?” Sharapova said about the ITF’s handling of her case.
Last year, Sharapova also lashed out at the ITF over their treatment of her. Accusing the organisation of being impartial, she claimed that the ITF tried to make an example of her by pushing for a four-year suspension. The accusation has been fiercely denied.
“The ITF did not ‘try to ban Ms Sharapova for four years’. The ITF took the position that it is the independent tribunal’s responsibility to determine what the appropriate sanction should be,” they said in a statement last year.
The origins of Sharapova’s meldonium use
Sharapova has also provided clarity over her ten-year use of Meldonium. She was first given the drug by doctors in Moscow shortly after winning the 2004 Wimbledon title at the age of 17. The tournament was the first time she managed to defeat two top-10 players in a single draw.
“I was getting colds and flu and it started to affect my body,” she said. “So I was taken to a doctor in Moscow . . . He gave me about ten supplements to take, one of which was Mildronate.”
There are still doubts over why she was consuming the drug for such a long period. Furthermore, there was no mention of the drug in her medical records after 2010. Only Sharapova’s father and agent knew she was consuming the substance. Reflecting on her previous mistakes, Sharapova now admits that she was too complacent.
“Ultimately the fault was mine. I had been getting clearance on everything I was taking for seven years and I became complacent.” She said.
Later this month Sharapova will return to action at the Stuttgart Open, where she has been granted a wildcard. The comeback has triggered a heated debate in the sport. Tournament officials have allowed her to play her first match on the Wednesday, the same day her ban ends. Prior to then, she is prohibited from entering the grounds of a WTA event.
The Times will publish their full interview with Sharapova on Saturday.
