Maria Sharapova will be able to return to competitive tennis next April, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her doping ban from 24 months to 15 months. Sharapova was banned from play after she failed a drug test in January. Tests at the 2016 Australian Open showed she had used meldonium, a banned substance. Meldonium is made in Eastern Europe. It is said to be popular with some athletes from Eastern European countries. The drug is said to increase blood flow. It helps carry oxygen to muscles. Sharapova admitted she had been taking a drug called Mildronate for over 10 years. But she did not know it was the same as meldonium. The World Anti-Doping Agency banned use of meldonium at the beginning of 2016. At first, the International Tennis Federation banned Sharapova from competitive tennis for two years.
