Maria Sharapova the 29 year old had a two-year ban reduced to 15 months after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) ruled she was not told about a change in the drug’s status.

She tested positive for meldonium less than a month after it was banned.

Her appeal against the two-year suspension originally imposed by an independent International Tennis Federation tribunal was, though, only ‘partially upheld’, according to the legalistic ruling.

Sharapova is a five-time Grand Slam winner and was Forbes’ highest-paid female athlete for 11 consecutive years, until American Serena Williams moved above her this year.

The Russian, whose suspension is backdated to the date of her first positive test on 26 January 2016, can return to action on 26 April 2017.

• Saman Sri Ratnayake as the Commissioner-General of NEC
• Maximum security for all presidential candidates
• Do not dwell in the past, lets talk about the future : Gotabaya Rajapaksa
• SLFP Mohomed Deen pledges support to Sajith Premadasa
• Booers have been warned : Mahinda Rajapaksa