According to TMZ, The ITF has issued a statement announcing that tennis star Maria Sharapova is banned from the game for two years after her urine tested positive for meldonium, a prohibited modulator. Part of Sharapova’s ban has already been served; the Federation revealed that because she was forthcoming with her sample(s), Sharapova will get time served from the date of the submission, which was January 26 of this year. Sharapova will, however, forfeit all ranking credit and prize money from January’s Australian Open, and her results from the tournament–she lost to eventual runner-up Serena Williams in straight sets in the quarterfinals–will be disqualified.
Since her debut in 2003, Sharapova has been one of the biggest names in women’s tennis. She was considered a serious threat to the Williams sisters’ reign, especially when she beat Serena in the 2004 Wimbledon Final, and rose to the #1 ranking in 2005. However, injuries sidelined Sharapova intermittently in subsequent years, and despite winning major titles in 2008, 2012 and 2014, never truly went on the dominant run many thought she was capable of.
This suspension won’t help her career at all. Despite lucking up with time served, Sharapova will be unable to play until the end of January 2018. She’ll still be a relatively young 31 years old, but returning to action at that age after such a long layoff will surely be a daunting task.
