‘As a competitor she’s just going to come back and she’s going to be so hungry
to play and excited and motivated. If you do something, I mean obviously there
are circumstances. And whoever does something deserves what he gets for sure’

Maria Sharapova’s ex-boyfriend Grigor Dimitrov yesterday suggested she deserved her ban from tennis for a doping offence, an incident that has sent shockwaves through the sport.
 “I think tennis misses her,” the Bulgarian world number 20 said of the five-time Grand Slam champion, adding that he had “zero doubts” she would make a successful return.
 “As a competitor she’s just going to come back and she’s going to be so hungry to play and excited and motivated,” said Dimitrov, who dated the Russian superstar for two years until they split in July 2015.
 But he added: “If you do something, I mean obviously there are circumstances. And whoever does something deserves what he gets for sure.”
 Dimitrov was responding to a question about an interview in which Sharapova accused the International Tennis Federation (ITF) of trying to make an example of her by giving her a 24-month ban for testing positive for meldonium.
 The suspension was cut to 15 months on Tuesday after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), meaning Sharapova can return to action next April.
 Dimitrov cited the case of world number 1,857th Joshua Chetty, who was banned from tennis for life in September for match-fixing offences.
 “It’s never up to me or ITF and all that,” Dimitrov said, referring to punishments of players. “I think throughout the years, these kind of things should have started earlier with examples and all of that.”
 Dimitrov is currently in Beijing for the China Open, where he booked his place in the second round by beating American Steve Johnson 7-5, 6-7 (7/9) 6-4.
World number two Andy Murray also said that Sharapova deserved to be suspended, echoing comments he made earlier in the year when the case was first made public.
“Maria competed at the Australian Open whilst using a banned drug, and then deserves a suspension. The time of the suspension, that’s not up to me,” Murray told reporters in Beijing.
The Scot had previously criticised the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for how it handled the ban on meldonium, which has allowed athletes to escape suspensions. “With everything that’s gone on this year with meldonium, obviously there were going to be some issues with that legally,” he added.
 Sharapova has admitted to taking meldonium for 10 years for health reasons, but said she wasn’t aware it had been added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances in January.
 The CAS judgment said Sharapova, one of the most marketable female athletes in any sport, was not an “intentional doper” but that she also “bore some degree of fault”.
 Meanwhile, French tennis player Richard Gasquet — who was once banned after testing positive for cocaine — said Sharapova will face a “tough” return when her 15-month doping ban ends next year.
 Gasquet faced an emotional comeback himself after he tested positive for cocaine at the Miami Open in 2009. “It is never easy to come back, of course. I think she had 15 months... it’s quite long to come back (after that). Mentally and physically it will be tough for her,” Gasquet said in Beijing.
 The 30-year-old Frenchman was banned for just two-and-a-half months after he persuaded the International Tennis Federation’s tribunal panel that he had inadvertently ingested cocaine during a nightclub kiss with a girl who had taken the drug.
 Sharapova had her two-year doping ban cut to 15 months by the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday, after it ruled she was not an “intentional doper”. The 29-year-old Russian tennis star — who is estimated to be worth $200mn — said she aims to return to the tour in April next year.
 At the time of his court comeback, Gasquet said that he had been too upset to pick up a tennis racket during his suspension. But his career has since rebounded. He has ended three of the last four years inside the top 10 and achieved his best ever Grand Slam performance this year, reaching the quarter finals at Roland Garros. “(Sharapova) need(s) to play enough and of course it will be ok for her in the future. We will see... for every case it is different,” Gasquet added.
Sponsors hail reduced ban
Sharapova’s reduced suspension for a doping violation is set to provide a healthy boost to her bank balance with corporate sponsors reaffirming their commitment to the Russian player.
The Russian’s stunning admission in March that she had tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open, and her subsequent ban by the International Tennis Federation, saw a number of sponsors distance themselves from her. Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer cut ties with the former world number one while Porsche, a unit of Volkswagen AG, was among those to suspend its relationship with the Russian.
However, in the wake of Tuesday’s verdict the German luxury carmaker confirmed it would discuss its tie-ups with Sharapova. “We welcome the CAS verdict and are delighted for Maria,” Porsche said in a statement published by Russian news agency TASS. “No contracts have been terminated. We will be discussing a future collaboration over the next days and weeks.”
Nike Inc, the world’s biggest sportswear brand, initially suspended its partnership with Sharapova after her admission in March but said it would continue to work with the player after her two-year ban was announced in June.
“We are pleased that Maria will be back playing the sport she loves in April and look forward to partnering with her and enjoying her continued success on and off the court,” Nike said in a statement published by ESPN.
Mineral water brand Evian and racket maker Head, long-time backers, also released statements hailing the reduction.
Head chairman and CEO Johan Eliasch, a robust supporter of Sharapova throughout the scandal, said “justice” had been served. “We are very proud to have stood by Maria for the right reasons throughout these difficult and testing times,” he said in a statement posted on the company’s social media accounts.
Five-time grand slam champion Sharapova, the world’s highest-paid sportswoman, earned $29.7mn last year, according to Forbes magazine, most of it from endorsements, appearances and royalties rather than victories on court.
Sponsors’ moves to rekindle their relationships with Sharapova were viewed dimly by some sports fans on social media though. “So boss of Head reckons drug taking is fine. Tennis is a mess with sponsors like this!” tweeted David Cooke (@hirsty9).