MOSCOW, Sep 26 Fourteen-year-old Russian tennis player banned from sports for nine months after admitting an anti-doping rule violation, according to the Tennis Adversity Authority (ITIA) website. His name has not been released due to the player's age. The tennis player was playing at his second ITF tournament at the senior level in January 2022, when his drug sample was taken as part of random testing. The sample was sent to a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory, which detected the presence of meldonium in sample A. Later, the presence of the drug was confirmed in sample B. It is noted that initially his disqualification should have been calculated for two years. However, the player is classified as a protected person due to his age. It also found «no significant fault or negligence». Thus, due to her age, level of player and lack of access to anti-doping education, the suspension was reduced to nine months (from March 5, 2022). her meldonium sample. The tennis player pleaded guilty. According to her, the drug was used exclusively for therapeutic purposes. Following an appeal filed by Sharapova, the period of disqualification was reduced to 15 months, as the court found that the Russian woman took meldonium unintentionally, not to improve results.
