After match-fixing report, Maria Sharapova's positive doping tests hits tennis hard

A BuzzFeed and BCC report in January had cast a cloud over the Australian Open and the sport

Tennis star Maria Sharapova revealed on Tuesday that she failed a doping test at this year’s Australian Open.

Sharapova revealed that she had tested positive for a drug called meldonium, which she had been using to treat some health issues. The substance was declared illegal on January 1 this year.

"I did fail the test and take full responsibility for it," said Sharapova. According to a BBC report, the former world number one and five-time Grand Slam champion has been provisionally suspended from 12 March "pending further action".

Sharapova’s admission is the latest blow to a sport that has come under the scanner for allegedly covering up widespread corruption in its ranks. Earlier this year, the Australian opened under a cloud after the hugely-popular sport was hit by an explosive match-fixing report.

BBC and BuzzFeed claimed in a report that 16 players in the top 50, including Grand Slam champions, had over the past decade been repeatedly suspected of fixing matches for betting syndicates.  

The report claimed that none of the "core group" of 16 players had faced sanctions. The report was claimed to be based on secret files leaked by a group of anonymous whistle-blowers.

While Association of Tennis Professionals chief Chris Kermode reacted to the timing of the report and described it as "disappointing", advertising experts warned against damage to brand value and sponsorships. 

The report alleged that players were targeted in hotel rooms at major tournaments and offered up to $50,000 or more to fix matches in favour of betting syndicates.

The leaked files associated with the report included details of an investigation pertaining to a 2007 match where world number four Nikolay Davydenko lost to 87th-ranked Martin Vassallo Arguello. While the investigation found insufficient evidence against either player, it discovered that syndicates in Italy and Russia were making hundreds of thousands of dollars by betting on matches which might have been fixed.

The report brought into question the effectiveness of the sport's anti-corruption body Tennis Integrity Unit.