Maria Sharapova is set to make her comeback to competitive tennis starting with the Stuttgart Open, from April 26, after serving her ban for failing a drugs test. Here’s a timeline of events over the last 15 months.
2016
January 26: Loses to long-term rival Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarter-final.
March 7: Reveals failed drug test for meldonium – controversially added to WADA banned list on January 1, 2016 – which she has used for various health issues for 10 years.
March 8: Porsche, Tag Heuer and Nike suspend lucrative sponsorship deals.
March 10: Racquet manufacturer Head stands with Sharapova, and offers to extend her contract.
March 12: Provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). She insists that warnings about changes to anti-doping rules were not communicated effectively.
March 15: United Nations removes Sharapova as goodwill ambassador. She had been active in helping recovery efforts after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
June 8: Banned for two years by the ITF.
October 4: Court of Arbitration for Sport reduces the ban from 24 months to 15 months, saying “she bore some degree of fault, for which a sanction of 15 months is appropriate".
October 10: Plays at charity event to support Elton John’s AIDS Foundation.
2017
January 10: Announces that she will make a comeback in April for the Stuttgart Grand Prix.
February 8: Granted wildcard for the Madrid Open.
March 1: Granted wildcard for Rome Masters. Andy Murray is critical of the decision to hand wildcards, saying offenders would need to “work their way back.”
April: Set to play in Stuttgart from April 26, despite event beginning two days before suspension expires.
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