Maria Sharapova Banned For 2 Years For Failed Drug Tests; Serena Now Women’s Sports Top Earner

Maria Sharapova won’t be at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, nor anywhere else for that matter, because she’s been banned for two years. 

You may recall, back in January, the Russian tennis star provided a urine sample after her quarter-final match at the 2016 Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia. The sample tested positive for meldonium,  a metabolic modulator that is included on the 2016 WADA Prohibited List. The World Anti-Doping Agency was sent to her in December of 2015, notifying her of the changes in banned substances for 2016. Sharapova says that a list of the substances that would be deemed illegal was included in the email, but she did not look at it, therefore she kept taking it. 

Back in March, Sharapova acknowledged her mistake, and on May 18 and 19, a trial was set.  On June 8 a punishment has been passed down. Maria Sharapova has been suspended for two years. Due to her admission, the suspension will be backdated to January 26, 2016 (the day the sample was collected.) This means that Sharapova will not be able to play tennis professionally until January 25, 2018.  Also her results at the 2016 Australian Open will be disqualified. She will also be forced to forfeit the ranking points and prize money that she won at that event.

Upon this news, it has also been reported that Serena Williams is now the highest earning female athlete. That position was previously held by Sharapova for 11 years. According to Forbes, Williams brought in $28.9 million in combined prize money and off-field earnings over the past 12 months. Sharapova comes in second at at $21.9 million.