MOSCOW, April 27 /TASS/. The meldonium concentration in the blood sample of Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova exceeds the permissible level, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said in an interview aired by Match TV, a Russian public sports channel, on Wednesday.

"Masha’s case is more complicated. The [meldonium] concentration in her blood is above the norm. Masha took the formula for several year on her doctor’s prescription. I am not going to announce if she will be able to avoid punishment or not. We just want her to restore her position in sport," Mutko stressed.

Early in March, Sharapova announced that her 2016 Australian Open blood sample contained meldonioum, which the World Anti-Doping Agency had blacklisted as a prohibited formula as of January 1, 2016. The formula refers to S4 class in the WADA list (hormones and metabolism modulators).