Maria Sharapova’s failed drugs test is a “game-changer for life, not just for tennis”, says her former coach.
Nick Bollettieri said he was shocked the former world number one had tested positive because “she has always been above board in everything”.
But the 84-year-old American added: “Everybody must accept responsibilities for everything they do in life.”
Sharapova, 28, has taken meldonium for health reasons since 2006, but it became a banned substance in 2016.
The Russian revealed she tested positive after losing to Serena Williams at the Australian Open in January.
The International Tennis Federation said Sharapova would be provisionally suspended from 12 March.
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.
“She said she took these for many, many years and then didn’t read the memorandum that came out,
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