Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova hailed the reduction of her two-year doping ban as one of the 'happiest days' of her life, immediately targeting a return to action in April 2017
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Lausanne: Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova hailed the reduction of her two-year doping ban yesterday as one of the "happiest days" of her life, immediately targeting a return to action in April 2017. The Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cut to 15 months Sharapova's ban imposed by an independent tribunal appointed by the International Tennis Federation for testing positive for meldonium.
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"I've gone from one of the toughest days of my career last March, when I learned about my suspension, to now, one of my happiest days, as I found out I can return to tennis in April," Sharapova said. Sharapova, one of the biggest names in tennis, said she was itching to get back on court.
"I'm coming back soon and I can't wait!" she said. "In so many ways, I feel like something I love was taken away from me and it will feel really good to have it back. "Tennis is my passion and I have missed it. I am counting the days until I can return to the court."
The 29-year-old tested positive for the banned medication meldonium during January's Australian Open, throwing her glittering career — 35 WTA singles titles and more than $36 million in career earnings — into serious jeopardy.
In its verdict, the CAS "found that Ms Sharapova committed an anti-doping rule violation and that while it was with 'no significant fault', she bore some degree of fault, for which a sanction of 15 months is appropriate".
Sharapova openly admitted she had been taking meldonium for 10 years to help treat illnesses, a heart issue and a magnesium deficiency. She said it had entirely escaped her attention that the product had been added to the banned substance list published by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on January 1, just before the Australian Open.
"I have taken responsibility from the very beginning for not knowing that the over-the-counter supplement I had been taking for the last 10 years was no longer allowed," Sharapova said in her facebook post Tuesday.
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