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Maria Sharapova can start playing tennis again in April.That was the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday after hearing an appeal from Sharapova in September over her two-year doping ban. The court reduced the Russian tennis stars suspension to 15 months after determining that she acted with no significant fault.Tennis is my passion and I have missed it, Sharapova said in a statement. I am counting the days until I can return to the court.In a 28-page decision, the independent panel said the suspension imposed by the International Tennis Federation for Sharapovas use of the banned drug meldonium was reduced, in part, because under no circumstances ... can the player be considered to be an intentional doper.With the penalty backdated to when she tested positive at the Australian Open in late January, Sharapova will be able to compete in April. She will miss each of tennis Grand Slams once during her suspension and will be eligible to pursue her sixth major title starting with the 2017 French Open.Ive gone from one of my toughest days of my career last March when I learned about my suspension until now, one of my happiest days, Sharapova said in her statement. In so many ways, I feel like something I love was taken away from me and it will feel really good to have it back.WTA CEO Steve Simon said in a statement that the tennis organization supports the CAS ruling and looks forward to Sharapovas return to tennis.Simon said Sharapova, who will have to rebuild her ranking from scratch, is entitled to unlimited wild cards based on her record. He expects her to be granted wild cards as soon as she is eligible, including for the French Open.I would be very surprised if there are too many tournaments that wouldnt extend her that opportunity, Simon said in a telephone interview. I think shell be able to work her way back onto the tour.Sharapova appealed to the CAS after a tribunal appointed by the ITF in June ruled that she would be suspended for two years -- even though it was concluded that the contravention of the anti-doping rule was not intentional.The CAS tribunal wrote that the fact that she didnt intentionally try to cheat the system was relevant to the length of her suspension and therefore granted a reduction.The panel wishes to point out that the case it heard ... was not about an athlete who cheated, the panel wrote. It was only about the degree of fault that can be imputed to a player for her failure to make sure that the substance contained in the product she has been legally taking over a long period, and for most of the time under the basis of a doctors prescription, remained in compliance.Meldonium, a Latvian-made heart drug that is commonly used in Russia, where it can be purchased over the counter, was included on the World Anti-Doping Agencys list of banned substances at the start of this year because it is believed to help the body produce energy more efficiently.Sharapova was prescribed meldonium by a family doctor in 2005 and used it for more than a decade for what her team said was a family history of conditions that the drug addressed. She tested positive for meldonium in January at the Australian Open, and later said she was unaware that it had been banned.Sharapovas suspension wasnt vacated because the CAS determined that she bore some responsibility. Sharapova had said she hadnt listed meldonium as a drug she took because it wasnt banned prior to 2016.Her agent, Max Eisenbud, said in testimony that he failed to check for newly banned substances at the beginning of the year.But the panel also felt that the ITF and WADA didnt do a satisfactory job of making sure players knew meldonium became banned in January or that Mildronate was a brand name for the drug. Sharapova had tested positive for meldonium when it wasnt banned, and neither organization ever informed her of its change in status.Following the Australian Open testing, the ITF said Sharapova also tested positive for meldonium in an out-of-competition control in Moscow on Feb. 2.Sharapovas lawyer, John Haggerty, called Tuesdays ruling a stunning repudiation of the ITF, which he said failed to properly notify players of the meldonium ban.The panel has determined it does not agree with many of the conclusions of the ITF, Haggerty said in a conference call. As we demonstrated before CAS, not only did the tennis anti-doping authorities fail to properly warn Maria, if you compare what the ITF did with how other federations warned athletes of the rule change, its a night-and-day difference.Sharapova told PBS Charlie Rose on Tuesday that she did not consider meldonium a performance enhancer, and criticized the ITF for not alerting her and other players of its addition to the list of prohibited substances. There are lots of things that could have been done to prevent this, she said.?Head, one of the four major brands Sharapova endorses along with Nike, Porsche and Evian, congratulated Sharapova on her reduced suspension Tuesday.We are very proud to have stood by Maria for the right reasons throughout these difficult and testing times for both Maria and those who have supported her all over the world, Johan Eliasch, chairman and CEO of the tennis racket company, said in a statement.Eliasch also called for a wholesale comprehensive review and change to the anti-doping system due to the inconsistencies highlighted in Sharapovas case. Nike, Evian and Porsche also released statements of support for Sharapova on Tuesday.Ivars Kalvins, the Latvian chemist who invented meldonium, recently met with WADA to demonstrate why he thought the drug is not a doping substance. On Friday, WADA released its 2017 list of banned substances, which still includes meldonium.Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.Dave Casper Youth Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Bo Jackson Womens Jersey . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. https://www.raiderssportsgoods.com/Womens-Bo-Jackson-Inverted-Jersey/ . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Marcus Allen Raiders Jersey . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Clelin Ferrell Womens Jersey . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks.Allen Iverson is being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame next month, and the former Philadelphia 76ers legend has been making the rounds looking back on his career and his impact on the culture of the sport. Iverson recently sat down with rapper Jadakiss for a wide-ranging interview that touched on a number of topics, including his top five players of all-time -- though Iverson was hard-pressed to settle on a fifth.Mike [Jordan], Shaq [ONeal], Kobe [Bryant], LeBron [James]. [The fifth one] could be a lot of dudes, he said.Rather than pick one last player to fill out his roster, Iverson listed five active players in addition to James who impress him today, choosing Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. Iversons preference for scoring point guards is no surprise, given that he averaged 26.7 PPG in his career, the seventh-beest scoring average in NBA history.ddddddddddddEventually the topic of the interview turned toward Iversons unique off-court style and his impact on the culture of basketball.I was just being me, Iverson said. I didnt plan none of it or whatever. I dressed and looked like the dudes from my hood that I grew up with.Iversons style was frequently cited as the reason the NBA instituted a dress code, and though players can no longer dress exactly like he did in his playing days, he sees himself as a style pioneer for players like Westbrook, who frequently push the boundaries in their own unique ways.The great feeling about it is all the young dudes now can be who they want to be and not be scared to dress and look the way they want to look, he said. ' ' '