RUSSIAN tennis star Maria Sharapova has been given a two-year ban after failing a drugs test.
The former world No.1 shocked the tennis world with the news in March.
She claimed she was unaware Meldonium — a drug she had been taking for 10 years for health reasons — was now banned.
But the World's Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had prohibited it at the start of the years — weeks before Maria, 29, took part in the Australian Open.
Now the tennis player has been suspended by the International Tennis Federation, a ban which has been backdated to January 26, 2016.
But in a statement issued on her Facebook page, Maria Sharapova has said she will "immediately appeal the suspension".
Sharapova, who turned professional in 2001, added on Facebook: "I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension.
"The tribunal, whose members were selected by the ITF, agreed that I did not do anything intentionally wrong, yet they seek to keep me from playing tennis for two years. I will immediately appeal the suspension portion of this ruling to CAS, the Court of Arbitration for Sport."
Almost 9,000 people have liked her status within 30 minutes.
WADA admitted in April scientists were unsure how long meldonium stayed in the system, and suggested athletes who tested positive before March 1 could avoid bans, provided they had stopped taking it before January 1.
According to last year's Forbes list, Sharapova banked some £20.4 million.
But of that money Sharapova earned just £1.3 million from winnings and £13.7 million from endorsements.
She was the highest-paid female athlete in the world in the world for more than 10 years.
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