Head celebrates Sharapova ruling

Racquet manufacturer Head has come out in strong support of Maria Sharapova after the Russian’s doping ban was reduced from two years to 15 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday.

Sharapova, who uses Head racquets, was dropped by other sponsors – including Tag Heuer and Avon – when her doping violation first hit the headlines in March 2016.

Head, however, stuck by her from the beginning, and tweeted the following after the CAS ruling.

Congratulations to @MariaSharapova! #WeStoodWithMaria #headtennis pic.twitter.com/NXGLvl4wzr

— HEAD Tennis (@head_tennis) October 4, 2016

“Head would firstly like to congratulate Maria on justice being served,” Head CEO Johan Eliasch said after the CAS decision.

“Once again, we are very pleased to welcome Maria back to the sport that we all love, where we have no doubt her true character will shine through and her status as a champion amongst champions will be restored.”

Statement from HEAD CEO, Johan Eliasch on CAS ruling on Maria #Sharapova pic.twitter.com/1JyKjgVo9B

— HEAD Tennis (@head_tennis) October 4, 2016

Other Sharapova sponsors, including Nike and Porsche, reacted positively to the ruling.

Nike initially suspended its relationship with the five-time major winner when she drugs ban was announced, yet decided to continue working with her when an independent ITF tribunal, in its June decision, ruled that Sharapova did not intentionally cheat.

“We are pleased that Maria will be back playing the sport she loves in April and look forward to partnering with her and enjoying her continued success on and off the court,” a Nike statement said.

Said Porsche in a statement: “We have taken note of the recently announced final CAS judgment in the case of Maria Sharapova. We welcome the CAS verdict and are delighted for Maria.

“We have been and still are in close contact with her and, as we have always stressed, have only put our mutual activities on hold over the past months until the final verdict is known.

“No contracts have been terminated. We will be discussing a future collaboration over the next days and weeks.”

Interestingly, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, a Premier-level event on the WTA calendar and a tournament at which Sharapova is a three-time champion, commences two days before the Russian’s ban is set to end.