SANA MAHMOOD
Five-time Grand Slam Champion 29-year-old Maria Sharapova, who was banned for 24 months last June is all set to return on 26th April to play for Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
She was suspended after testing positive for meldonium. But on appeal Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) found out that she was not an intentional doper. Cas has thus reduced the suspension by 9 months.
She has already participated in two exhibition events since her ban was reduced.
It is pertinent to mention here that like Porsche Grand Prix Sharapova has wildcards for May’s tournaments in Madrid and Rome.
Sharapova – one of the world’s best-known and wealthiest female athletes – while commenting on the use of meldonium said that she was unaware it had been added to the banned list at the start of 2016.
For ten years she had used Meldonium – an over-the-counter Latvian drug of skeptical advantage.
Commenting on her remaining idle due to ban she mused: “You don’t realize how much you love something, how much something means to you, until you lose it for some time”.
Expressing joy on her return she said: “I’ve got my day job back. It’s great. I’ve been training quite hard for the past four months”.
One of the world’s best-known and wealthiest female athletes! Sharapova.
