Becker believes Sharapova deserves second chance

TIL Desk Sports/ Boris Becker believes Maria Sharapova has paid her dues and deserves a second chance when she returns to tennis in April at the end of her 15-month doping ban. Sharapova, a five-time grand slam champion, failed a dope test for the drug meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open and was suspended for two years by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

The Russian’s ban was then cut by nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) last October, meaning the Russian is free to return from April 26. Becker, a three-time Wimbledon champion, said it was right that Sharapova was allowed to return to the sport and hopes her comeback will not cause problems in the locker room. “In principal I am all for a second chance,” Becker told at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco.

“She (Sharapova) paid her dues, she was suspended for quite a long time. I don’t know about the reaction of the other players, it’s up to them. “Everyone has their own choice. Hopefully the atmosphere (inside the locker room) will be good. We can move on and have good women’s champions.” Sharapova, 29, had called the ITF’s original ruling “unfairly harsh” because she had not intentionally violated anti-doping rules.