Maria Sharapova announced on Monday that she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open. Punishment for Sharapova, the world’s highest-paid female athlete, hasn’t been announced yet.
The five-time grand slam tennis champion said she has been using meldonium for the past 10 years for various medical conditions. Meldonium is typically prescribed to treat conditions like heart failure but was recently banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency this year because athletes were using drug to enhance performance and endurance.
The drug was developed in Latvia and is popular in Baltic countries. It was was once used by Russian troops in Afghanistan as a stamina enhancer.
