Months after reports of a doping violation first surfaced, 79th-ranked Varvara Lepchenko was declared to bear “no fault or negligence” for her antidoping rule violation by the International Tennis Federation on Tuesday after having tested positive for meldonium in January at a WTA tournament in Brisbane, Australia.
Meldonium, a heart medication that was a popular supplement among athletes from the former Soviet Union, triggered hundreds of positive tests this year after the World Anti-Doping Agency added it to the prohibited list on Jan. 1.
Lepchenko is the first American athlete, but the third tennis player, revealed to have tested positive for meldonium.