How Maria Sharapova's frank admission could end up getting her banned

Rather than wait for the authorities to announce the news, she stood up in front of the world to talk about how she'd failed to realise that her medication had been added to the WADA banned list.

While many have criticised Sharapova's foolishness in failing to take care of one of the essential elements of being a modern athlete, nobody questioned her openness and honesty in coming clean. Sponsors deserted her, but her reputation - while battered - still endures.

Now, however, that honesty looks like costing her a lengthy ban.

[ANALYSIS: Knives out for Sharapova: Why WAS she on meldonium? And how did she miss the memo?]

On Monday, WADA admitted that there is next to no reliable evidence about how long meldonium persists in an athlete's body. Their report suggested that there may well be grounds for suspending any potential bans for the dozens of athletes who tested positive for the drug in the opening weeks of 2016: "WADA considers that there may be grounds for no fault or negligence on the part of the athlete," was the exact wording used.

Sharapova's problem, however, is that she has already admitted that it was an oversight, and that she had continued to take the drug.

Ironically, had she kept her counsel - as many other meldonium users have done - she might at this point have been able to argue that a final, legal dose of the substance in the closing days of 2015 was the cause of her positive test.

Among those potentially to be excused for their positive tests are Russian speed skating duo Pavel Kulizhnikov and Semen Elistratov, respectively a five-times world champion and an Olympic short track silver medallist.

Sharapova is due for a meeting with the International Tennis Federation on April 21 at which her fate is expected to be determined.

[REACTION: McEnroe: Using legal drugs 'a no brainer' but hard to believe Sharapova didn't know of meldonium ban]

Sharapova made a serious mistake, and we understood at the time her brave decision to open up about what had happened in a press conference. No doubt she hoped that by showing contrition, the world's top earning female athlete could seek to win favourable treatment from both the ITF and her sponsors.

But those sponsors have largely deserted her, and in the current anti-doping climate the ITF will have little choice but to stick to the letter of the law, despite probably wishing that they could fast-track one of the biggest draws in sport back into action.

So right now, things look bleak for Sharapova.

And yet, her honesty also looks all the more admirable. By standing up and admitting what she did, and taking her punishment on the chin, she has lost a chance of what has been described elsewhere as a "get out of jail free card". But if using that card would have meant adding deception to her negligence in following the rules - as well as the already-questionable medical grounds on which she was taking the drug in the first place - then we're very glad that she hasn't gone down that route. Best to come clean, accept any sanctions, and move forward with what remains of her career.

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