Maria Sharapova hasn’t played a match on the WTA Tour since her quarter-final loss at the 2016 Australian Open due to a doping ban, but it has done little to curb her passion for the sport.
The former world No.1 is currently serving a 15-month ban after testing positive for the banned substance Melodium. Originally the Russian was slammed with a two-year sentence, but managed to have it reduced following a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The decision was one described by Sharapova as ‘an early birthday present’.
“I got my present last year when I know I was going to be back playing in April.” She told Russia Today.
“The biggest gift is getting my sport back, getting to complete on a stage I missed for a really long time.” She later added.
During her time away from the sport, Sharapova has kept herself busy by enrolling in a business class at the Harvard Business School and writing a book about her life. She has also embarked on the sport of boxing, using it to keep her in shape ahead of the resumption of her tennis career.
“I tried boxing as I needed to keep myself in good form. It was great as I could imagine some particular people whom I wanted to hit,” said the 29-year-old said without naming anybody.
Sharapova’s return to the tour will occur at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, a tournament she won three consecutive times between 2012-2014. Granted a wildcard by organisers, she will start her campaign on Wednesday 26th April, the day when her ban ends. Prior to that date, she is banned from entering the grounds of any WTA Tournament.
The future for the five-time grand slam champion is one filled with uncertainty. If her return to the tour is unsuccessful, she has other projects to fall back on. The most prominent is her Sugarpova brand, which was launched in Russia this week. Still, some are already making bold predictions. The head of Russian tennis, Shamil Tarpischev, recently labelled Sharapova as a title contender for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I have no such long-term plans yet as I was simply not thinking about it,” Sharapova told TASS news about her future participation in the Olympic Games.
“As of now I am focused on the tournament in Stuttgart and on my comeback. It is a big question of what will be in Tokyo and whether I will be playing there. I have not discussed this issue with anyone yet.”
There does appear to be one certainty regarding Sharapova’s future. She has no desire to return the sport as a coach after she retires. A trend that has been followed by numerous former world No.1 players such as Lindsay Davenport, Amelie Mauresmo and Martina Navratilova.
“I do not think that I will be working as a coach,” Sharapova said. “As you may well know, I run my own business and it skyrocketed over the recent years.”
“I am greatly interested in it (business), but I simply had no time for it in the past.”
So far in her career, Sharapova has won 35 WTA titles, including five grand slams. She has also spent 21 weeks at world No.1 between 2005-2012.
