John McEnroe shocked Maria Sharapova camp did not know meldonium was banned
Sunday 13 March 2016 12:09, UK
Tennis great John McEnroe says it is "hard to believe" that Maria Sharapova did not know the drug meldonium had been placed on the banned list.
Sharapova stunned the tennis world when she announced on Monday that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January.
The Russian five-time Grand Slam champion, who is now facing a ban from the sport, explained that she had been taking meldonium for 10 years and had been unaware that it had been placed on the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list on 1 January.
But McEnroe, a former World No 1 who now works as a commentator, expressed surprise that no one in Sharapova's support team had been aware of the change in the rules regarding meldonium.
He told the Tennis Channel: "(It) would be hard to believe that no one in her camp, the 25 or 30 people that work for her, or Maria herself, had no idea that this happened."
It was pointed out to McEnroe that he had once been disqualified from the Australian Open and subsequently claimed he was unaware of a rules change which meant players would default in a match after a three-step process.
He said: "Nobody told me, so it is possible that Maria did not know that, though it's extremely doubtful."
Sharapova is renowned for shrieking as she hits the ball during rallies and McEnroe quipped that her ban could be reduced if she vowed to be quieter on court.
"There's no suspension if when she comes back she promises not to grunt," the American joked.
"If you don't grunt Maria, no suspension. If you continue to grunt, two years."
