MARIA SHARAPOVA will know the result of her appeal against a two-year doping ban early next month.
The 29-year-old five-time grand slam champion tested positive for meldonium at January’s Australian Open.
In June she was handed a two-year ban, back-dated to January, and she appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport seeking a reduction.
A hearing had been scheduled for next Monday but the CAS has announced “its decision in the arbitration procedure between Maria Sharapova and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) during the first week of October 2016”.
Sharapova claimed she used meldonium for health issues after being prescribed by her family doctor.
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Meldonium was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency on January 1 due to its ability to increase the delivery of oxygen to muscles, in turn improving stamina and endurance.
Sharapova said she received an email from WADA on December 22, reminding her of the alterations to the list of banned substances but added that she did not click on the link provided.
The ITF insists Sharapova’s use of meldonium “is only consistent with an intention to boost her energy levels”.
In a strongly-worded statement, the ITF added: “It may be that she genuinely believed that Mildronate had some general beneficial effect on her health but the manner in which the medication was taken, its concealment from the anti-doping authorities, her failure to disclose it even to her own team, and the lack of any medical justification must inevitably lead to the conclusion that she took Mildronate for the purpose of enhancing her performance.’
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