Maria Sharapova, the world's highest-paid female athlete and No. 7-ranked tennis player in the world, admitted during a press conference she called on Monday that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open.
The positive test for the banned drug meldonium came on Jan. 26, the day Sharapova, 28, loss to rival Serena Williams in the quarterfinals of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season, noted
The New York Times.
"I take great responsibility and professionalism in my career every day," Sharapova said at the news conference in Los Angeles, according to
ESPN. "I made a huge mistake. I let my fans down. I let my sport down."
Sharapova stressed during the press conference that she did not know the substance was banned and had been using it for a decade.
"I want you to understand for the past 10 years that meldonium was not on the (World Anti-Doping Agency's) banned list and I had been legally taking the medicine for the past 10 years," Sharapova said. "But on Jan. 1, the rules changed and meldonium had become a prohibited substance, which I had not known."
Her attorney John Haggerty told
Sports Illustrated that Sharapova started taking the drug under a doctor's care for a medical condition after finding abnormal EKG readings that determined she had some diabetes indicators.
"(Sharapova's doctor) checked them all and they were all not on the ban list and she was able to take them," Haggerty said. "These medications helped her. They brought her back to baseline, they eliminated or reduced some of the medical conditions she was dealing with."
ESPN reported that Nike suspended and Swiss watch brand Tag Heuer ended their relationships with Sharapova because of the announcement. Sharapova had renewed her deal with Nike for eight years back in 2010 for $70 million, including royalties.
"We are saddened and surprised by the news about Maria Sharapova," Nike said in a statement, noted ESPN. "We have decided to suspend our relationship with Maria while the investigation continues. We will continue to monitor the situation."
Haggerty told the New York Times that Sharapova could be banned for two to four years for the positive test, depending on if she took it intentionally or unintentionally, but hopes she could avoid any sanctions because of her circumstances.
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