Stewart’s report on back good
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Doctors are pleased at the pace NASCAR driver Tony Stewart’s broken back is healing and have given the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion a rehabilitation program aimed to get him back in a race car. Stewart was injured Jan. 31 in an all-terrain vehicle accident. He suffered a burst fracture of the L1 vertebra and has missed the start of the season, his last as a NASCAR driver. Stewart-Haas Racing said Wednesday there is no timetable for Stewart’s return. Ty Dillon will drive the No. 14 Chevrolet this weekend at Phoenix.
TENNIS
› LONDON — Maria Sharapova was guilty of “willful negligence” for using meldonium, and international tennis officials were aware many players were taking the drug before it was banned this year, former World Anti-Doping Agency president Dick Pound said Wednesday. Pound told The Associated Press that Sharapova could face a ban of up to four years unless she can prove mitigating circumstances to explain her positive test for meldonium at the Australian Open in January. The Latvian- manufactured drug, designed to treat heart conditions, was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list on Jan. 1 after authorities noticed widespread use of the substance among athletes. In announcing her positive test at a news conference in Los Angeles on Monday, Sharapova said she had been using the drug for 10 years for various medical issues. The fivetime Grand Slam champion and world’s highest- earning female athlete said she hadn’t realized meldonium had been prohibited this year, taking full responsibility for her mistake.
SOCCER
› BOCA RATON, Fla. — Alex Morgan and Samantha Mewis scored as the U.S. women’s national team rallied to beat Germany 2-1 Wednesday night and win the She Believes Cup. The World Cup champion Americans were 3-0-0 in the four-team event. Germany (2-10) finished second. In front of 13,501 fans at FAU Stadium, Germany opened the scoring in the 29th minute when Anja Mittag beat goalkeeper Hope Solo with a low, hard shot to the left corner of the net. It was the first goal allowed by the Americans since a 1-0 loss to China on Dec. 16. The Americans, who have won all nine of their matches this year, tied it on Morgan’s goal in the 35th minute.