By Alberto Amalfi | Thursday, June 16, 2016
Andy Murray said he doesn't find Maria Sharapova's defense "a valid excuse" for her positive test for the banned substance meldonium.
Photo credit: IPTL
Maria Sharapova says oversight triggered her positive test for the banned substance meldonium at the Australian Open—she did not realize the drug had been added to the Prohibited List.
Andy Murray says ignorance isn't a valid excuse.
More: Sharapova Files Appeal with Court of Arbitration for Sport
"To be honest, I don't really see that as being a valid excuse," Murray said at Queen's Club when asked about Sharapova's case. "If you're taking any medication, it's your responsibility as the athlete to check and make sure that what you're taking is legal.
"Obviously there can be the odd case where if you were given something by a doctor, he tells you, oh, this is, I don't know, this is a vitamin and it's not, it's something completely different, then that's different. But if you're taking medication, you know, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't know whether it's on the banned list or not."
Sharapova, who filed an appeal of her two-year suspension with the Court of Arbitration for Sport this week, testified she did not know meldonium was added to the Prohibited List on January 1st and did not intentionally violate doping rules.
Reiterating the strong stance he took on the issue at Indian Wells in March, Murray said violators of the anti-doping policy must be banned.
"My thoughts haven't changed really from March. I obviously spoke quite a lot about it then," Murray said. "I do feel like if you're cheating or caught and gaining advantage on your opponents, then you obviously have to be punished for that. It's not what's fair or not in terms of time. That's up for for the governing bodies the courts and stuff and the lawyers to decide upon that. But, yeah, my view hasn't changed since March at all."
Speaking to the media at Indian Wells in March, Murray said players taking prescription drugs without a medical reason are engaging in performance enhancing drug use.
“If you're taking a prescription drug and you're not using it for what that drug was meant for, you don't need it, you're just using it for the performance enhancing benefits [that the] drug is giving you, then that is wrong, clearly,” he said.