Maria Sharapova could be back by January after drugs ban
Monday 15 August 2016 13:20, UK
Maria Sharapova could be permitted to return to competitive tennis as early as January next year, according to Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpishchev.
The five-time Grand Slam winner was banned for two years by the International Tennis Federation after testing positive for banned substance meldonium in January.
Sharapova subsequently submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who said in July that a ruling on her case would be held on September 19.
Russian tennis chief Tarpishchev said on Monday he was confident the 29-year-old's ban would not stretch as long as two years.
"Everything will be decided in September. It is impossible to say for certain but I think she will start playing again by January," Tarpishchev was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency.
Sharapova admitted in a press conference in March that she had been taking Mildronate, another name for meldonium, for the last 10 years.
She also added that she had been unaware that it had been added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list at the start of 2016.
