Sharapova counts the cost of failed drug test
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THREE of Maria Sharapova’s major sponsors are cutting ties with the Russian star after she acknowledged failing a doping test at the Australian Open.
Sportswear giant Nike, Swiss watch brand Tag Heuer and German luxury car company Porsche moved quickly to distance themselves from the five-time grand slam winner after she announced the positive test at a news conference in Los Angeles on Monday.
“We are saddened and surprised by the news about Maria Sharapova,” Nike said in a statement. “We have decided to suspend our relationship with Maria while the investigation continues. We will continue to monitor the situation.”
TAG Heuer said its deal with Sharapova will not be renewed. The sponsorship expired at the end of 2015 and discussions had been taking place on how to extend it. “In view of the current situation, the Swiss watch brand has suspended negotiations, and has decided not to renew the contract with Ms Sharapova,” TAG Heuer said in a statement.
Porsche said in a statement yesterday that it has “chosen to postpone planned activities” with Sharapova “until further details are released”.
Sharapova said she failed a doping test at the Australian Open in January for the little-known drug meldonium, which became a banned substance under the World Anti-Doping Agency code this year. The former world No. 1 took full responsibility for her mistake and could face a lengthy ban from the International Tennis Federation, possibly ending her season and preventing her from competing for Russia at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“I know that with this, I face consequences. I don’t want to end my career this way, and I really hope I will be given another chance to play this game.”
Russian officials yesterday threw their backing behind Sharapova.
Sorry for Masha
“I feel sorry for Masha. I hope that we will see her back on court and we are prepared to support her,” sports minister Vitaly Mutko told state-run TASS news agency, using the Russian diminutive of Sharapova’s first name.
“She travels from tournament to tournament and has a punishing schedule. The people in her team should be looking out for her.”
Shamil Tarpishchev, head of the Russian tennis federation, told TASS he believed Sharapova would still have a chance to play at the Rio Olympics in August.
In a statement released by the federation, Tarpishchev pledged to do “everything that is needed from our side to help Masha”.
The 28-year-old Sharapova said she has been taking meldonium, a blood flow-promoting drug, for 10 years for numerous health issues. Meldonium, also known as mildronate, is a Latvian-manufactured drug popular for fighting heart disease in former Soviet Union countries. It was banned because it aids oxygen uptake and endurance, and several athletes across international sports have already been caught using it, including Russian ice dancer Ekaterina Bobrova, Ukrainian biathletes Artem Tyshchenko and Olga Abramova and Ethiopian-born Swede Abebe Aregawi, the 2013 women’s 1,500 world champion.
Sharapova and all players were notified of the changes in the WADA banned substances list in December. Sharapova claimed she simply missed the change, neglecting to click on the link.
“I take great responsibility and professionalism in my job, and I made a huge mistake,” she said. “I let my fans down. I let the sport down that I’ve been playing since the age of 4, that I love so deeply.”
Sharapova is one of the top female players of her generation, with 35 career singles titles and over US$36 million in career earnings. That earning potential is thought to be easily dwarfed by the earnings she generates from her commercial appeal. Forbes estimated her earnings at US$29.5 million for 2015.
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