Tennis has double faulted this year.
First of all there were allegations of widespread suspected match-fixing at the top level of the sport and now Maria Sharapova has failed a dope test.
Sharapova, who has 35 singles titles, five grand slam titles, and three doubles titles, and was ranked world No1 for a period in 2005, 2008, and 2012 has fallen from grace, but to her credit (and the credit of her PR crew) she has tried to fall as gracefully as she possibly could.
Sharapova's illustrious professional career has been a lengthy and prosperous one for her, women's tennis, and her sponsors on and off the court.
Her positive drug test at the Australian Open has divided people into haters (Shara-Dopa) or huggers (Should-have-told-her) on social media and it has given rise to the age-old debate about morality, ethics and how these are applied in a sporting context.
Is she a cheat? Is innocence by ignorance enough for her to get a second chance?
Do her gender and profile in women's tennis create double standards with regards to the punishment (if any) she receives?
The beauty of morality is that it is subjective.
My definition of cheating is knowingly doing or taking something that is against the rules.
The issue isn't whether she should have taken meldonium that has performance-enhancing qualities for 10 years.
The issue is why didn't she stop taking it when it was included on the list of banned substances in January?
The only sympathy Sharapova should be getting, if she was ill-advised, is in relation to the incompetence of her support staff.
It shouldn't have been a surprise to her staff that meldonium was on the prohibited list because rumours were rife that the drug was being used by athletes extensively and thus under investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
To claim ignorance in this case is no excuse and I'm sure Wada would advertise that there were new additions to the list at regular intervals, and if I was taking something that I knew had performance-enhancing qualities (even though I claimed it was for a medical condition) I would be checking that list daily.
Sharapova leads a double life that is both glamorous but also hard work.
Recovering from gruelling tennis tournaments and training schedules must be tough, and the sponsorship that goes with her profile must be both a blessing and a burden.
All the more reason to be diligent and cautious.
Why didn't she or her staff know that the drug was banned?
How dope(y) is that?
Her staff earned their wages, though, in the wake of the positive result when they kicked into gear and presented Sharapova in the best possible light at the press conference.
Here was a female athlete who is often scantily dressed on the tennis court and at celebrity events, dressed in sombre black from neck to toe.
This image created maximum sympathy and only time will tell if this will lead to game, set and match to Team Sharapova or Wada.
