Five-time Grand Slam winner, Maria Sharapova, was initially banned by the International Tennis Federation for two years after testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.
Sharapova appealed against the original two-year ban on the grounds there was "no significant fault or negligence" on her part.
The panel accepted her claim of no significant fault, saying she had a reduced perception of the risk she was incurring by taking mildronate.
An analysis by BBC identifies reasons why the sentence was reduced.
1. She had used mildronate for 10 years without any anti-doping issue
2. She did not seek treatment from her doctor, Anatoly Skalny, to obtain a performance-enhancing product, but used it only for medical reasons
3. No specific warning had been issued by Wada, the ITF or the WTA about a change in the status of meldonium
4. She took a public position acknowledging that she took meldonium and accepted responsibility.
The Russian will be able to return to the tennis court on 26 April, 2017.
Sharapova appealed against the original two-year ban on the grounds there was "no significant fault or negligence" on her part.
The panel accepted her claim of no significant fault, saying she had a reduced perception of the risk she was incurring by taking mildronate.
An analysis by BBC identifies reasons why the sentence was reduced.
1. She had used mildronate for 10 years without any anti-doping issue
2. She did not seek treatment from her doctor, Anatoly Skalny, to obtain a performance-enhancing product, but used it only for medical reasons
3. No specific warning had been issued by Wada, the ITF or the WTA about a change in the status of meldonium
4. She took a public position acknowledging that she took meldonium and accepted responsibility.
The Russian will be able to return to the tennis court on 26 April, 2017.