Maria Sharapova speaks about her failed drug test during a news conference in Los Angeles
International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty says a disciplinary hearing has been scheduled in Maria Sharapova’s doping case, with a ruling possible before Wimbledon.
Haggerty tells reporters the independent Tennis Integrity Unit typically takes “two to three months” to process a case. That could deliver a verdict in June.
Haggerty says he has not been told details of the case, including when and where the hearing will be held.
Sharapova was provisionally suspended after announcing on March 8 that she tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open in January.
The Russian said she had been prescribed the blood-flow boosting drug since 2006, and had been unaware the World Anti-Doping Agency had prohibited its use from Jan. 1.
The drug, which is typically recommended for heart disease patients, was banned for 2016, prompting at least 172 failed tests worldwide.
Ivars Kalvins, who created the drug, said not everyone takes meldonium in order to enhance athletic performance.
“If we talk about male athletes, many of them take meldonium in order to improve their sexual performance rather than to enhance their sports performance,” Kalvins said. “We need to take this into account.”
Kalvins said he was disappointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency’s decision to ban the drug and said he has written to WADA asking for meldonium to be taken off the list. Graham Dunbar, Lausanne, MDT/AP
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