New twist in Maria Sharapova case

Maria Sharapova’s wish to return to competitive tennis has received a potential boost after the World Anti-Doping Agency revised their stance on the performance-enhancing drug she tested positive for earlier this year.

The Russian has been provisionally suspended since 12 March following a positive test for meldonium during the Australian Open in January.

WADA has now released a statement claiming it may take a lenience towards low-level positive meldonium drug tests recorded before March due to a “a lack of clear scientific information on excretion times”.

Full details of Sharapova’s case, or whether she could qualify for such leniency, are not known.

Her lawyer John Haggerty has posted a scathing statement on the announcement.

“The fact that WADA felt compelled to issue this unusual statement now is proof of how poorly they handled issues relating to Meldonium in 2015,” Haggerty wrote on Facebook.

“Given the fact that scores of athletes have tested positive for taking what previously was a legal product, it’s clear WADA did not handle this properly last year and they’re trying to make up for it now.”