Five-time grand slam tennis champion Maria Sharapova has admitted that she failed a doping test at this year’s Australian Open. The world’s highest-paid female athlete tested positive for Meldonium, a drug she has used since 2006 but was only recently added to the banned substances list by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Sharapova faces a temporary ban which from international tennis and her main sponsor, Nike, has suspended its relationship with her as the investigation continues.
We may never know if Sharapova’s admission of guilt was a cynical attempt to control the media narrative about her crimes against the sport. However, by admitting her mistake and apologising to the public and her fans, she did the right thing. With controversy clouding professional tennis, her actions will hopefully open a new chapter in reforming the sport from the inside. We need sporting heroes our children can look up to.
