Sharapova suspended for 2 years for doping

Maria Sharapova has been suspended for two years by the International Tennis Federation for testing positive for meldonium at the Australian Open.

The ruling, announced Wednesday, can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The five-time Grand Slam champion was provisionally suspended by the ITF in early March, when she announced at a news conference in Los Angeles that she failed a doping test in January.

Sharapova said then she was not aware that the World Anti-Doping Agency had barred athletes from using meldonium, also known as mildronate, as of January 1.

Sharapova said she first was prescribed the Latvian-made drug, typically used for heart conditions, for medical reasons in 2006.

Maria Sharapova said on Wednesday she will appeal the two-year doping ban handed down to her by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for doping and which threatens to end her career.

The 29-year-old tested positive for the controversial banned medication meldonium during January’s Australian Open.

“While the tribunal concluded correctly that I did not intentionally violate the anti-doping rules, I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension,” Sharapova wrote on her Facebook page.

“The tribunal, whose members were selected by the ITF, agreed that I did not do anything intentionally wrong, yet they seek to keep me from playing tennis for two years. I will immediately appeal the suspension portion of this ruling to CAS, the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

Factfile on Maria Sharapova, who was banned for two years on Wednesday for doping:

Name: Maria Sharapova

Residence: Bradenton, Florida, USA

Date of Birth: April 19, 1987

Birthplace: Nyagan, Russia

Height: 6′ 2″ (1.88m)

Weight: 130 lbs. (59kg)

Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

Status: Pro (April 19, 2001)

Career earnings: $36,766,149

Career details:

WTA Singles Titles: 35

Grand Slam titles: Australian Open (2008); French Open (2012, 2014); Wimbledon (2004); US Open (2006)