Maria Sharapova banned for two years for testing positive for meldonium at the Australian Open

 

Tennis: The international Tennis Federation has suspended 5-time Grand Slam champion, Maria Sharapova for two years for testing positive for meldonium at the Australian Open.

The verdict which was announced last night, is subject to appealed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In March, Sharapova was provisionally suspended by the ITF, when she announced at a news conference in Los Angeles that she failed a doping test in January.

Sharapova said she was not aware that the the use of meldonium, also known as mildronate has been barred with effect from January 1 by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Her lawyer, John Haggerty, says Sharapova took the substance after the said date.
Sharapova said she first was prescribed the drug, specifically used for heart conditions, for medical reasons in 2006.