Five-times grand slam tennis champion Maria Sharapova hit out at some media accounts of her doping case that she termed "wrong" in an open letter to her fans on Facebook on Friday. Sharapova, who tested positive for the banned drug meldonium at the Australian Open in January, is facing a suspension of up to four years by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and has already lost numerous sponsorships in the aftermath. The former world number one thanked her fans for their "tremendous outpouring of support" before launching into a critique of what she believed were some inaccurate reports. "A report said that I had been warned five times about the upcoming ban on the medicine I was taking. That is not true and it never happened," Sharapova wrote. The 28-year-old Russian said she was making no excuses for not knowing about the ban that went into effect on Jan. 1, but said that after the first announcement, other notices were "buried in newsletters, websites, or handouts." "Again, no excuses, but it's wrong to say I was warned five times," said Sharapova, who has said she took the drug for 10 years due to a family history of heart issues and diabetes.
Russian Maria Sharapova produced a blistering performance to overpower world number one Justine Henin 6-4 6-0 in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Russia's Maria Sharapova battled past Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki to move into the Italian Open quarter-finals with a 6-4, 7-6 win on Thursday.
A lengthy ban for doping would be devastating for five-times grand slam champion Maria Sharapova but she would survive it, Nick Bollettieri, the man who discovered her, said on Tuesday.
Maria Sharapova's mix of grit and power were enough to see off American teenager Sofia Kenin 7-5, 6-2 in the third round of the US Open on Friday.
In the day following Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova's admission that she failed a drug test, sponsors Nike, Porsche and Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer dropped her like a hot potato.
The American ace proved too good for the second seed in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
The former World No 1, who returned to the tour in April following a 15-month doping ban, started the stronger, breaking Sabalenka in her opening service game, but struggled on serve and soon found herself trailing 4-1 in the first set.
Making her Grand Slam comeback in Paris following the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia last September, Serena Williams will renew her fierce on-court rivalry with Maria Sharapova on Monday when they meet in a highly-anticipated fourth-round showdown at the French Open.
The Russian five-times Grand Slam champion struggled for rhythm initially on the low-bouncing grasscourt at the Mallorca Open but picked up the pace to beat Viktoria Kuzmova 7-6(8), 6-0.
Maria Sharapova must be driving herself crazy every time she steps on court to face Serena Williams.
Fifth seed Maria Sharapova, the last giant left in the women's draw, powered into the Wimbledon semi-finals after being head and shoulders above diminutive Slovak Dominika Cibulkova in a 6-1, 6-1 demolition on Tuesday.
Russia's Maria Sharapova will face Serbia's Jelena Jankovic in the Cincinnati Open final after the pair enjoyed solid victories in their semi-finals on Saturday. Sharapova recovered from a poor start to beat fellow-Russian and world number two Vera Zvonareva 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach her fourth final of the season while Jankovic beat Germany's Andrea Petkovic 7-6, 6-1.
The Russian won back-to-back matches on Saturday to reach the semi-finals of the Birmingham Classic.
Maria Sharapova was given a brief scare on her way to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Russian Alla Kudryavtseva in the French Open third round.
Martina Hingis cruised but top seed Maria Sharapova had to work a little harder to secure opening victories at the Pacific Life Open.
Maria Sharapova made a powerful start to the new tennis season on Tuesday, crushing Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova 6-0, 6-1 at the Brisbane International on Tuesday.
Former world number one Maria Sharapova has been handed a wildcard to the Wimbledon warm-up tournament in Birmingham in June.
Tennis stars Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova came in their finest best at the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, California on Sunday.
A fatigued Sharapova lost to fellow-Russian Elena Dementieva while Williams was beaten Serbian Jelena Jankovic in the semi-finals of the Los Angeles Open.
Sharapova's quarter-final defeat by Williams at the 2016 Australian Open was the last competitive match the Russian played for 15 months after she received a doping ban while American Williams was on a maternity break for most of 2017.
The third seed best her fellow Russian 6-1, 6-2 to win her first Pacific Life Open.
Maria Sharapova remained on course for consecutive Madrid Open titles when she recovered from dropping the second set to beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 on Thursday and book a spot in the semi-finals.
The 18-year-old tennis star showcased her own brand of perfume, line of watches on a promotional tour to Japan
Maria Sharapova will be back in the US Open spotlight on Wednesday hoping she can come up with a winning encore to her electrifying first round victory over second seed Simona Halep.
'I definitely feel the respect from the athletes. Certainly when I play against them, in terms of the level they play with'
World No 3 Maria Sharapova withdrew on Monday from the end-of-season WTA Championship in Istanbul due to the shoulder injury that also kept her out of the US Open.
Five-times Grand Slam champion Sharapova became an ambassador for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in 2007, but was dropped in March after admitting she had used the banned substance meldonium.
Maria Sharapova withdrew from the Brisbane International on Tuesday due to inflammation around her collarbone and the world No 2 is still unable to hit a serve just two weeks before the start of the Australian Open.
Caroline Wozniacki put a huge dent in Maria Sharapova's bid to finish the season as world number one by overcoming some distracting bright lights to down the Russian 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-2 in their marathon opening group match of the WTA Finals on Tuesday.
Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard called Maria Sharapova as a 'cheater' over her return from a drugs ban and suggested the Russian should be banned for life.
Maria Sharapova set up an enticing quarter-final showdown with Eugenie Bouchard at the Australian Open following a comfortable 6-3, 6-0 fourth round victory over China's Peng Shuai on Sunday.
Top-seed Maria Sharapova breezed to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Swedish qualifier Sofia Arvidsson to easily win the Memphis Championships women's title on Saturday.
So prior to their Melbourne Park rematch, former champion Sharapova said she was primed and ready for another drawn out dog-fight against the 14th seed.
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