‘ Maria deserves ban’
ANDY MURRAY says Maria Sharapova has no excuses for failing a drugs test and deserves to be banned – and has questioned his own sponsors for backing her.
A matter of hours after his racket sponsors, Head, had issued a statement in support of Sharapova, extending her contract with the company despite her failing a test at the Australian Open, Murray was incredulous at their actions and clearly unimpressed with Sharapova’s protestations of innocence.
Murray said: “Taking a prescription drug you don’t necessarily need just because it’s legal, that’s wrong, clearly. If
MURRAY: No excuses
you are taking a prescription drug and not using it for what it was meant for, then you don’t need it, so you’re just using it for the performance- enhancing benefi ts. And I don’t think that that’s right.”
On Monday, Sharapova admitted she had tested positive for meldonium, a drug she claimed to have been taking on the advice of her family doctor, for heart irregularities and because of a family history of diabetes.
The drug was only banned by the World Anti- Doping Agency at the beginning of this year but Sharapova claims she did not read the e mail announcing the change to its proscribed list and the new and illegal status of the drug.
Murray was having none of that. Sharapova had failed a drugs test and she ought to be banned, he said. The drug was designed to help people with heart conditions such as angina and increases blood fl ow, helps with recovery from exercise and with stress- related issues. Clearly those properties would aid with performance in professional sport and Murray’s tone was dripping with sarcasm as he said he was not surprised by Sharapova’s announcement.
“Stories like this happen regularly now in sport,” he said. “So I wouldn’t say it was shocking. But obviously since then, you read about it, try to learn as much as you can and understand what has been going on. You just don’t expect high- level athletes at the top of many sports to have heart conditions.”
As for his racket company, he said he was disappointed with their reaction. Head have renewed Sharapova’s contract and publicly backed her as a woman and athlete of “integrity”.
“It’s a strange stance given everything that has happened the last few days,” said Murray.