Maria Sharapova drug ban: Her 21 career-defining moments

A look at the career of Maria Sharapova on and off the court ahead of her 'major announcement'

Maria Sharapova's “major announcement” on Monday night was to reveal that she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open, having admitted to taking the banned substance meldonium since the age of 16, although the drug was only outlawed by the World Anti-Doping Agency on 1 January 2016.

28-year-old Sharapova has not played since suffering a fourth round defeat by Serena Williams at the Australian Open in January, having struggled with a left forearm injury that forced her to withdraw from this month’s BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in California last week.

The stunning revelation came as a major shock for the sport given that Sharapova has remained one of the leading contenders in the women’s game for over a decade and has stood as the highest paid female athlete annually since 2004.

Sharapova burst onto the scene back in 2004 when she defeated long-time adversary Serena Williams to win the Wimbledon women’s singles at the age of just 17, having made her professional debut three years earlier and her Grand Slam bow at the 2003 Australian Open.

Further success would come at the US Open and French Open in 2006 and 2008 respectively, but she would have to wait until 2012 before completing a career Grand Slam after triumphing in the French Open final to ensure she would be remembered as one of the few to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments.

Sharapova added Olympic silver that year at London 2012 where she lost out in the final to Williams, and added a second victory at Roland Garros two years later that remains her most recent Grand Slam success.

However, Sharapova has also carved out a hugely successful career off the court that sees her stand as the highest paid female athlete since 2005. Sharapova has numerous endorsements and sponsorship deals as well as her own business ventures, which include the sweet company “Sugarpova” that she started in 2013 alongside candy veteran Jeff Rubin.