Breaking News: Maria Sharapova's two years ban reduced to 15 months

Maria Sharapova's tennis career will resume sooner than expected.

The five-time grand slam champion has had her two-year drugs ban reduced to 15 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) meaning she will be back in time for the French Open in May 2017.

Sharapova tested positive for banned substance meldonium at the Australian Open in January and was subsequently banned for two years by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

But CAS has shaved nine months off that original verdict, meaning Sharapova is eligible to compete again on April 25.

"The Panel found that Ms Sharapova committed an anti-doping rule violation and that while it was with "no significant fault", she bore some degree of fault, for which a sanction of fifteen months is appropriate," said a

"The Panel wishes to point out that the case it heard, and the award it has rendered, was only about the degree of fault that can be imputed to the player for her failure to make sure that the substance contained in a product that she had been taking over a long period remained in compliance with the anti-doping rules."

Sharapova immediately expressed her relief at the reduction of her ban, and took aim at the ITF, saying she hoped they would learn from this experience.

"I've gone from one of the toughest days of my career last March when I learned about my suspension to now, one of my happiest days, as I found out I can return to tennis in April," she said in a 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. Tennis is my passion and I have missed it. I am counting the days until I can return to the court. I have learned from this, and I hope the ITF has as well. CAS concluded that "the Panel has determined it does not agree with many of the conclusions of the [ITF] Tribunal."

She went on to justify her use of meldonium, which is also known as mildronate

"I have taken responsibility from the very beginning for not knowing that the over-the-counter supplement I had been taking for the last ten years was no longer allowed. But I also learned how much better other Federations were at notifying their athletes of the rule change, especially in Eastern Europe where Mildronate is commonly taken by millions of people.

"Now that this process is over, I hope the ITF and other relevant tennis anti-doping authorities will study what these other Federations did, so that no other tennis player will have to go through what I went through. she also thanked her fans:

"And to my fans, I thank you so much for living and breathing so many of these tough months together. During this time, I have learned the true meaning of a fan and I am so fortunate to have had your support. I'm coming back soon and I can't wait."