Russia tennis chief still expects Maria Sharapova to play at Olympics

Shamil Tarpishchev expects that Maria Sharapova wil represent her country at this year’s Olympics in Brazil. (Source: File)

Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpishchev expects Maria Sharapova to represent her country at this year’s Olympics in Brazil despite being provisionally suspended from the game after testing positive for a banned substance.

Five-times grand slam champion Sharapova said on Monday she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January because of a substance, meldonium, she was taking for health issues.

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“I think this is just a load of nonsense,” Tarpishchev, president of the Russian Tennis Federation, said in an interview with the TASS news agency.

“The sportsmen take what they are given by the physiotherapists and by the doctors. I think Sharapova will play at the Olympics, however, we will need to see how this will develop.”