Serena Williams praises Maria Sharapova ‘courage’

Serena Williams has praised the “courage” of Maria Sharapova after the Russian announced at a press conference on Monday that she had failed a drugs test for meldonium.

Williams and Sharapova have endured a testy relationship at the top of the sport, but the world number one said she believed her rival has done the right thing to make a public admission of guilt.

Williams told a press conference in New York: “I think most people were surprised, but most people were happy that she was up front. It’s just [about] taking responsibility, which she admitted she was willing to do.