Maria Sharapova is set to make a comeback at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on April 26th, after a 15-month doping suspension.
The five-time grand slam winner has won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix five times, and had been sponsored by the Germany luxury car maker, until Porsche put their relationship on hold when she was first banned. The tournament organisers have her a wild card to appear in the tournament, they said in a statement on their website.
After the Sharapova was tested positive for cardiac drug meldonium last January, she received a two-year ban. In September, the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) shortened her two-year ban to 15 months which means she will be back to the courts after April 25th.
Before her ban, Sharapova had been the best-paid female athlete in the last 11 years according to Forbes. Sharapova has said she had been using the drug, meldonium, since 2006 for other health issues, and wasn’t aware that it was prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency from 2016.