Every man is different and, starting from here, all of Romania wants Simona Halep to have a spectacular comeback in tennis. But, if we look at the last great female player to be banned for doping, we see that the period of inactivity has seriously affected her.
Maria Sharapova
We are talking about Maria Sharapova. Former WTA leader and with five Grand Slam trophies in his record. She took Meldonium after this drug had been switched to “blacklist” of those from WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), starting January 1, 2016. Sharapova explained in front of the court that she did not know about this detail, which is why she continued to take Meldonium.
When she was suspended for 2 years in 2016, Maria Sharapova was 29 years old. On appeal, the sanction was reduced to 15 months, and the Russian resumed her career in the WTA circuit in April 2017. Maria later climbed to the 21st place in the world, but only one trophy remained in her record, at a small competition, the Tianjin Open, in October 2017. At Grand Slam tournaments, after her doping suspension expired, Sharapova never made it past the quarterfinals. In 2020, Maria announced her retirement.
Figures of other players returning after long absences
Name Age Current Ranking
Jennifer Brady (USA) 28 years 230 WTA
Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 33 years 204 WTA
Naomi Osaka (Japan) 26 years 287 WTA
Angelique Kerber (Germany) 36 years 607 WTA
Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) 29 years old 17 WTA
Sportswomen in the +30 category in the world Top 50
5. Jessica Pegula (USA, 30 years old)
18. Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic, 33 years old)
22. Sorana Cîrstea (Romania, 33 years old)
24. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia, 33 years old)
26. Caroline Garcia (France, 30)
30. Victoria Azarenka (Belarus, 34 years old)
37. Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine, 34 years old)
39. Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic, 31 years old)
44. Sloane Stephens (USA, 30 years old)
46. Tatjana Maria (Germany, 36 years old)
48. Arantxa Rus (Netherlands, 33 years old)
