Maria Sharapova is not going down without a fight.
The embattled women's tennis star who tested positive for the drug meldonium that has placed her on provisional suspension starting today, continues to accept responsibility for the failed test that took place at the Australian Open.
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But she has objected to what she calls inaccurate reporting or distortion and exaggeration of the facts regarding her situation.
The Russian took to her Facebook account to set the record straight in response specifically to two criticisms that arose after her news conference: that she has received five warnings about meldonium being added to the banned substance list in 2016 and the accusation of inappropriate use of the drug.
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"I make no excuses for not knowing about the ban," Sharapova said on Facebook. "I already told you about the December 22, 2015 email I received. Its subject line was 'Main Changes to the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme for 2016.' I should have paid more attention to it.
"But the other 'communications'? They were buried in newsletters, websites, or handouts."
She goes on to talk about one of the warnings being an email with the subject line "Player News" which included a "Player Zone" section that apparently contained the warning --- but to get to that warning, the email recipient had to enter a user name and password, then wade through more than three dozen links to find the one that included the warning.
She added that a wallet card --- which she posted on her Facebook page to prove her point --- that was packed with a lot of information, including the warning.
"Again, no excuses, but it's wrong to say I was warned five times."
As for her extended use of the drug, Sharapova wrote, "There was also a headline that said, '4-6 Weeks Normal Treatment for Drug in Maria Sharapova Case.'
"The story quotes the manufacturer of my medicine as saying: 'Treatment course can be repeated twice or thrice a year. Only physicians can follow and evaluate patient's health condition and state whether the patient should use meldonium for a longer period of time.'
"That's exactly what I did. I didn't take the medicine every day. I took it the way my doctor recommended I take it and I took it in the low doses recommended."
Her detractors came after Sharapova, insisting that someone in her entourage should've discovered the drug policy change that included meldonium as a banned substance beginning in 2016.
But that seems to be a strange argument for people to use to denounce her. The drug was not banned before January, so she was doing nothing wrong prior to this year.
And she failed a test for which she is subject to punishment. The news of the failed test came from her, not other reports. She did not deny taking the drug --- as if it were flaxseed oil --- as Barry Bonds claimed when he was accused, or waive a finger at her news conference like Rafael Palmeiro did at Congressional members and then get a positive test soon after, nor did she pretend as if she suddenly didn't speak English very well, as Sammy Sosa did.
Sharapova failed a drug test. She's going to accept her punishment and wants to return.
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