With her doping suspension reduced by an appeals court, Maria Sharapova will be allowed to return to professional tennis in time for next summer’s French Open. The top officials for the sport’s global governing body are unlikely to be there cheering for her.
Sharapova, who was caught using meldonium last year after it was newly added to the list of banned substances, launched a public attack on tennis’s leaders after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Tuesday that her two-year ban should be reduced to 15 months. She said she viewed the ruling as vindication — though the court did not clear her of a doping offense — and she sharply criticized the International Tennis Federation for its handling of the case.