Maria Sharapova’s hopes of participating in this year’s Olympic Games with the Russian team has been dashed, following a recent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) extending its decision-making date on her doping case until September. Sharapova was given a two-year suspension by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and thus banned from participating in the Games, after she admitted to testing positive for the illegal drug, Meldonium, in January.

When the ban was enforced in June, the tennis champion immediately appealed the ITF’s judgement, deeming it a bit too rough on her. She also harboured the expectation that by July 18, a preferable decision would be reached and she could go on to join her colleagues at the Olympics. Despite the optimism and she and her supporters shared, the announcement by the CAS means that the Russian tennis team will have to take their chances at getting gold in August without her.

During this past Wimbledon 2016 Championships held in London, Sharapova was absent as she was not even allowed in the premises as a part of the audience. Missing the Rio games will count as the second major tournament that the five-time Grand Slam champion will not partake in.

If the two-year suspension is neither lifted nor reduced come the CAS hearing on September 19, Sharapova will also miss seven high profile tennis events between the rest of 2016 and January 26, 2018 when her suspension will end. This will no doubt severely impact Sharapova’s tennis career, and most likely end it.

On a seemingly brighter note, Sharapova’s social media announcement concerning her enrolment at the Harvard Business School to undertake a currently unidentified course for two-weeks shows that the tennis star might be doing a good job of positively distracting herself. Perhaps, her mandatory two-year break from the world of sports is what Sharapova needs to take her candy company “Sugarpova” to its next level.

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