Sharapova admits to failed drugs test at Australian Open

Former tennis world number one Maria Sharapova said on Monday (March 7) that she recently received a letter saying she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January.

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.

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.