Maria Sharapova will be able to play tennis again soon. The Court of Arbitration of Sports reduced her two-year ban from tennis to 15 months on Tuesday.
As we previously reported, Sharapova was banned from tennis for two years in June for testing positive for meldonium, which is a banned substance. She had been taken meldonium for health reasons and said that she was unaware that it was a banned substance. The Court of Arbitration of Sports said in its decision that the suspension was reduced because Sharapova acted with "no significant fault” and "under no circumstances ... can the player be considered to be an 'intentional' doper," according to ESPN.
"Tennis is my passion and I have missed it," Sharapova said in a statement which she posted on Facebook. "I am counting the days until I can return to the court. I've gone from one of my toughest days of my career last March when I learned about my suspension until now, one of my happiest day. 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."
Sharapova’s tennis racket sponsor Head tweeted congrats to her for having her suspension reduced. "Congratulations to Maria Sharapova" the company tweeted with the hashtag #WeStoodWithMaria. The tweet also included a statement from Head CEO Johan Eliasch.
People attacked Head on Twitter for supporting Sharapova.
Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion, will be able to return to tennis in April.