Five-times Grand Slam Champion Maria Sharapova admits failing drug test at Australian Open

Former tennis world number one Maria Sharapova said on Monday that she recently received a letter from International Tennis Federation (ITF) saying she had failed a drug test at this year's Australian Open.

The 28-year-old Russian, a five-times grand slam champion, has not competed since she lost to Serena Williams in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January and has struggled with a series of injuries in recent years.

‘I failed drug test at Australian Open and I do take full responsibility for that," said the Russian. Sharapova said she tested positive for Meldonium and that she did not look at a list of banned substances for 2016 that the World Anti-Doping Agency had sent last December.

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"I was first given the substance back in 2006. I had several health issues going on at the time," Sharapova told a news conference in Los Angeles. "I was getting sick very often and I had a deficiency in magnesium and a family history of diabetes, and there were signs of diabetes. That is one of the medications, along with others, that I received."

Shgarapova took Meldonium legally for 10 years which became a prohibited substance on January 1st, 2016.

Here is the video of the press conference