Serena Williams said her great opponent Maria Sharapova “showed a lot of courage” in taking responsibility for her failed drug test.
The 21-times major champion said she “hoped for the best” for Sharapova, a day after the Russian revealed she failed a test the day she lost to Williams at the Australian Open in January.
Sharapova said she tested positive for the little-known drug meldonium, which became a banned substance under the World Anti-Doping Agency code this year.
The five-times grand slam champion could face a long ban from the International Tennis Federation, possibly ending her season and preventing her from competing at the Olympics.
The world No1 Williams was due to play her good friend Caroline Wozniacki on Tuesday night in an exhibition at Madison Square Garden.
Sharapova’s former coach Nick Bollettieri told the BBC he was shocked she had tested positive because “she has always been above board in everything”, though he added: “Everybody must accept responsibilities for everything they do in life.”
The Russian said she had taken meldonium, a heart medicine which improves blood flow, for a decade following various health problems including regular sicknesses, early signs of diabetes and “irregular” results from echocardiography exams. “I was first given the substance back in 2006. I had several health issues going on at the time,” she said.
The International Tennis Federation said she would be provisionally suspended from 12 March and at the age of 28 she could face up to a four-year ban.
Bollettieri said he believed Sharapova had made a “very honest mistake” and had not taken the drug to gain an unfair advantage.
