Maria Sharapova may not have been at Wimbledon this year, but the former SW19 champion has been secretly taking a business course in London.
The disgraced Russian star is said to have been in close proximity to the All England Club after coming over to participate in classes run by an offshoot of Harvard Business School.
She will soon travel to Switzerland for her hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where she is seeking to get a reduction to her two-year ban for taking meldonium.
A decision is due by July 18 at the latest.
Last week Sharapova, who is learning about business relating to her confectionary line, Sugarpova, used her social media accounts to post pictures of herself at Harvard in America.
However, it appears she flew to London at the weekend to study at a branch of the renowned business school in the capital. Three days ago she posted a picture of herself at a Sunday barbecue, which appeared to take place in the Putney area, two miles from Wimbledon.
Her absence, plus the injury to Victoria Azarenka and early upset of Garbine Muguruza has left the women’s draw relying on the Williams sisters for star quality.
Sharapova was given a two-year ban by an independent three-person International Tennis Federation tribunal following her admission on March 7 that she took the drug after it was outlawed on January 1. She tested positive during the Australian Open.
The World Anti-Doping Agency yesterday extended the potential amnesty to those who tested positive for meldonium this year and maintain they did not ingest it before it was deemed illegal. Under WADA’s new guidelines, athletes who test positive for a low concentration between March 1 and September 30 can be cleared based on a ‘no fault finding’.
Sharapova admits she took the drug in January, but claims she was unaware of its changed status.
Her lawyer John Haggerty yesterday told Sportsmail: ‘I am not able to discuss any of the specifics but I can tell you that the proceedings will include a written submission and an in-person hearing.’ – Daily Mail