Maria Sharapova set to appear at London hearing into positive drug test

Russian revealed failed test in March and appears at unknown venue, although result not expected for a further fortnight

The hearing into Maria Sharapova's positive drugs test began in London on Wednesday (Getty)

The venue was being kept as a closely guarded secret but Maria Sharapova was due to appear at a hearing in London on Wednesday following her positive drugs test at the Australian Open in January.

The hearing is expected to finish on Thursday, though it might be at least two weeks before a verdict is announced.

Sharapova revealed in March that she had failed a test for Meldonium, a drug which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list at the start of this year.

The Russian, who said that she had been unaware that Meldonium had been outlawed, claimed that she had been prescribed the drug 10 years ago by a doctor to combat a number of health issues, including a heart condition.

Nearly 300 athletes across a wide range of sports have tested positive this year for Meldonium, which is said to help increase stamina and endurance.

WADA admitted recently that there was some confusion over how long traces of the drug remained in the body, but that is unlikely to help Sharapova, who publicly admitted continuing to take it this year.

Another tennis player, the Belarusian Sergey Betov, also tested positive for Meldonium at the Australian Open but was cleared last month by the International Tennis Federation, having insisted that he had stopped taking the drug before the start of this year.

Sharapova, who is currently serving a provisional suspension, might argue that she should be given a backdated exemption on the grounds that she takes the drug for medical reasons.

However, that is unlikely to stop her being banned, though it is thought unlikely that she would be given the maximum suspension of four years. Her ban could be as short as six months.