Maria Sharapova Announces Positive Drug Test for Meldonium

Tennis star Maria Sharapova insists she is "determined to play tennis again" following March 7's announcement that she failed a drug test.

The five-time major winner recently revealed to gathered media she tested positive for meldonium, per WTA Insider. According to tennis journalist Chris Goldsmith, the drug was banned effective Jan. 1, 2016.

Sharapova told reporters she took "full responsibility for it," per Charlie Kaye of CBS News, and she explained the circumstances behind the positive test, relayed by the BBC (via Laura Wagner of NPR):

"

I had been taking this medicine for the past 10 years, but on Jan. 1 this became a prohibited substance which I did not know. ... I received an email on Dec. 22, 2015 from WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] about the changes happening to the banned list and you can see prohibited items, and I didn't click on that link.

"

Sharapova has received messages of "support and loyalty" from her fanbase, whom she thanked on Facebook: "I wanted to let you know that your wonderful words put a smile on my face. I'd like to play again and hope to have the chance to do so. Your messages give me great encouragement."

On Friday, she posted another message on Facebook:

However, the star faces questions over her alleged ignorance of the rule change. The Latvian company that manufactures the drug said the "normal course of treatment for the drug is four to six weeks—not the 10 years that [Sharapova] says she used the substance," according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

According to Ben Rumsby and Simon Briggs of the Telegraph, Sharapova was "warned at least five times" between Dec. 3 and Dec. 29 that the drug was being added to the list of prohibited substances.

Per Rumsby and Briggs, Dick Pound, WADA's founding president, said: "All the ­tennis players were given notification of it, and she has a medical team somewhere. That is reckless ­beyond description."

According to the Guardian, WADA officially added meldonium to its list of banned substances in September 2015 ahead of the 2016 calendar year. The organization cited "evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance" as the reasoning behind the decision.

Sharapova is not the only person to fall victim to the rule changes; the WADA announced on March 11 that 99 athletes had tested positive for meldonium, per Sky Sports News HQ. 

The drug is used to treat myocardial ischemia, which Mayo Clinic describes as a condition in which a reduction of blood flow to the heart causes problems with the body receiving oxygen.

BBC Sport's Richard Conway noted another Russian athlete has tested positive for meldonium in the past:

In its most recent drug testing policy, the International Tennis Federation outlined a therapeutic-use exemption for players who are using a drug on the banned list. The policy also stipulates the ITF can suspend a player anywhere from two to four years following a first offense—though the length of the punishment is at the ITF's discretion and can be reduced.

ESPN's T.J. Quinn doesn't believe this positive test will have significant long-term ramifications for Sharapova in terms of how she's remembered over time:

"As Maria said, she's ready to take full responsibility, and I think that showed a lot of courage and a lot of heart," said Serena Williams, per Reuters (via MailOnline).

Should she be forced to miss any time on the court, though, her playing career will be affected in a big way.

Williams, 34, continues to dominate well into her 30s, but she's the exception to the rule. Most tennis players hit a marked decline at 30. Sharapova turns 29 in April, and if she's unable to play for a full year or longer, her days as a top-level star may be over.