The
Russian was provisionally banned in March after testing positive for meldonium
at January's Australian Open.
The heart
disease drug, which 29-year-old Sharapova says she has been taking since 2006
for health issues, became a banned substance on 1 January 2016.
The
five-time Grand Slam winner says she will appeal against the ban, which is
backdated to 26 January 2016.
"I
cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension," she wrote on Facebook.
"With
their decision of a two-year suspension, the ITF tribunal unanimously concluded
that what I did was not intentional.
"The
ITF asked the tribunal to suspend me for four years - the required suspension
for an intentional violation - and the tribunal rejected the ITF's position.
"I
intend to stand for what I believe is right and that's why I will fight to be
back on the tennis court as soon as possible. I will immediately appeal to the
Court of Arbitration for Sport."
The ITF
said Sharapova also tested positive for meldonium in an out-of competition test
on 2 February, as well as in the aftermath of her Australian Open quarter-final
defeat by Serena Williams on 26 January.
The World
Anti-Doping Agency said in April that scientists were unsure how long meldonium
stayed in the system, and suggested athletes who tested positive before 1 March
could avoid bans, provided they had stopped taking it before 1 January.
However,
Sharapova had already admitted she continued taking the substance past that
date, saying she was unaware it had been added to the banned list as she knew
it by another name - mildronate.
In
reaching its verdict the ITF recognised Sharapova had not intentionally broken
anti-doping rules, as she did not know that mildronate contained a banned
substance from January of this year.
But the
federation said the Russian was "the sole author of her own
misfortune", as she had "failed to take any steps to check whether
continued use of the medicine was permissible".
Comments
Post a Comment