Jennifer Capriati Went In On Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova acknowledged on Monday that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open. Sharapova tested positive for Meldonium, a drug used to treat heart disease that she says she’s been taking for 10 years due to family history of diabetes and irregular heartbeat. According to the drug manufacturer, the normal course of treatment with the drug is 4 to 6 weeks, which can be repeated two or three times a year if necessary. The drug, which can provide an edge with endurance, was just banned this past January. It was added after past test samples were showing frequent and increasing use in athletes, and since January, a Russian speed skater, ice dancer, cyclist, two Ukrainian biathletes, and two Ethiopian-born endurance runners have been among those testing positive.

As the news broke, former no. 1 player Jennifer Capriati, who won three majors, expressed her disappointment with Sharapova over the failed test on Twitter. (Some of these tweets have since been deleted, but are preserved by Larry Brown Sports; punctuation and capitalization is adjusted below for clarity):

"I’m extremely angry and disappointed. I had to lose my career and never opted to cheat no matter what. I had to throw in the towel and suffer. I didn’t have the high priced team of drs that found a way for me to cheat and get around the system and wait for science to catch up. I just think it takes away from the sport and the hard work, if true. Yes its hard to be kicked when down, when injured and out. The advantages are so subtle they can be just a hair width difference. That gives you only what you need to know to reach that extra level."

Capriati continued:

"If this medication helped me to comeback again would everyone be alright with me taking it? How much did it take away from the other persons food plate? In my opinion of its all true every title should be stripped. This is other people’s lives as well."

While defending herself from a presumed legion of social media detractors, she asked:

Given that Sharapova’s endorsements with Nike, Tag Heuer, and Porsche have been affected by the news, it’s fair to say that many are in agreement with Capriati. However, these are the types of things that can fade relatively quickly in the event that the general public likes somebody, which has been the case with Sharapova throughout her career. It will be interesting to monitor her reputation and marketability going forward.