Maria Sharapova prepares to return to tennis after 15-month ban.
The Russian tennis player, who was tested positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open, a medication which she had been taking for 10 years before it was banned a drug.
She was banned for two years last june but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced the suspension. Courtesy of a wildcard entry,she will return at next month’s Porsche Grand Prix.
Sharapova also has wildcards for May’s tournaments in Madrid and Rome, though she has already taken part in two exhibition events since her ban was reduced.
“When you love what you do, and you do it with passion and integrity and you work hard and have a team around you, and you’re the driving force, you know what you stand for and who you are,” she told an ANA Inspiring Women in Sports Conference. “I’ve got my day job back. It’s great. I’ve been training quite hard for the past four months,” she said.