Maria Sharapova Banned until January 2018 after testing positive for the banned drug meldonium Wednesday June 08,2016

Russian former world number one Maria Sharapova was handed a two-year ban by the International Tennis Federation on Wednesday June 08,2016 following her positive test for banned drug meldonium at this year's Australian Open.

In a statement the ITF said the 29-year-old five-times grand slam champion's ban would be back-dated to Jan. 26 this year, meaning her results from the Australian Open where she reached the quarter-finals, would be disqualified.

"An Independent Tribunal appointed under Article 8.1 of the 2016 Tennis Anti-Doping Programme has found that Maria Sharapova committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme and as a consequence has disqualified the affected results and imposed a period of ineligibility of two years, commencing on 26 January 2016," the ITF said in a statement.

Maria Sharapova says she will appeal against the length of the ban.

Maria Sharapova intends to appeal the ruling  and approach the CAS

Note

Maria Sharapova Grand Slam Titles - 5

• Wimbledon (2004)
• U.S. Open (2006)
• Australian Open (2008)
• French Open (2012, 2014)

Maria Sharapova is one of 10 women in tennis history with a career Grand Slam -- at least one title from each of the sport's four most important tournaments. So much came so easily for her at the start: Wimbledon champion in 2004 at age 17; No. 1 in the rankings at 18; U.S. Open champion at 19; Australian Open champion at 20.

An operation to her right shoulder in 2008 took her off the tour for months, and her ranking dropped outside the top 100.

 But she worked her way back, and in 2012, won the French Open, then added a second title in Paris two years later.

Maria Sharapova tells a news conference in Los Angeles in March that she tested positive at this year's Australian Open for meldonium, which is used to treat diabetes and low magnesium and has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since Jan. 1,2016

Maria Sharapova is provisionally banned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) pending the outcome of an anti-doping hearing in London in May 2016

MARIA SHARAPOVA - THE STORY SO FAR

2006: Maria Sharapova begins taking meldonium after being recommended the drug by her family doctor. Heart irregularities and a family history of diabetes are two reasons the substance - then called mildronate - is chosen. At this point, it is not on the WADA banned list.

January 1, 2016: Meldonium is placed on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned list after it was found in lots of samples and deemed to have performance-enhancing properties.

January 26, 2016: Sharapova loses to Serena Williams in her Australian Open quarter-final match and then fails a drugs test after the match. For now, the Russian keeps the news private.

March 7, 2016: Sharapova calls a news conference in Los Angeles to reveal she had tested positive for banned substance meldonium at the Australian Open two months earlier.

March 12, 2016: The Russian former world No 1 is provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Federation pending the results of a three-person independent panel.

June 8, 2016: The ITF announce Sharapova has been banned for two years, backdated to January 26 - the day the 29-year-old failed the drugs test.