Tennis legend John McEnroe finds it hard to believe Maria Sharapova's claims of meldonium usage. The seven-time grand slam champion who became a commentator added that he has no issue with a player taking a legal drug, even if it contains performance-enhancing qualities.
Maria Sharapova shook the tennis world when she announced that she had failed a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open. BBC reported that Sharapova took a drug which contains meldonium, a substance that was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Sharapova claimed she had been taking meldonium for the past 10 years for medical reasons and was not aware that WADA prohibited its use in January.
John McEnroe said that it is unlikely that nobody from her team knew that the rule has changed. The player-turned-commentator told the Tennis Channel that 'it's hard to believe' that 25 or 30 people who worked for Sharapova had no idea that this happened. But McEnroe said that he was also unaware of a rule change during the 1990 Australian Open which then led to his disqualification and so it's possible that Sharapova truly did not know about the changes, says The 42.
According to Eurosport, Maria Sharapova faces a suspension for up to four years by the International Tennis Federation and has so far lost several sponsorships in the aftermath. John McEnroe joked that the Russian champion should only be banned for two years since she claims that she did it unknowingly.
Since the start of 2016, reports suggest that there have been 99 positive tests for the drug meldonium, which is often prescribed to treat heart complaints. Meanwhile, Andy Murray also finds it strange that many athletes competing at the top level of their sport would have that condition.
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