Maria Sharapova announces she FAILED a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open after testing positive for Meldonium

 Maria Sharapova has announced she failed a drugs test at the 2016 Australian Open after testing positive for Meldonium.

Meldonium was a medicine Sharapova took for 10 years but it became a prohibited substance on January 1. Sharapova received a letter on December 22 from WADA informing her of changes – and she admits she did not look at the list.

The 28-year-old Russian ace confirmed the shock news at a pre-arranged press conference held in Los Angeles. ‘I don’t want to end my career this way and I really hope I will be given another chance to play this game,’ she said.

‘I failed the test and take full responsibility for that. I had been taking this medicine for the past 10 years, but on 1 January this became a prohibited substance which I did not know.

‘I made a huge mistake. I let my fans down. I let my sport down.

‘I don’t want to end my career this way. … I know many of you thought I was retiring. But if I was ever going to announce my retirement it would not be in this downtown Los Angeles hotel with this fairly ugly carpet.’

Sharapova, who has played in only one tournament this year, losing to Serena Williams in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, said she received a letter from the ITF informing her of the failed test for 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 Doping Anti-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.

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 Doping Anti-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.

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.