In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Alex Thomas, tennis star Maria Sharapova insisted that she was certain that her ban would not be the end of her career.

Following the reduction of her tennis suspension, Sharapova will return to the sport in April 2017 after serving a 15 month absence from the court for testing positive for the banned substance meldonium.

“I knew this was never the way I going to finish my career and I was going to do it on my terms… I never doubted that,” she told Thomas.

“I know who I am and I know how I’ve played the sport since I was a young girl, with integrity, I’ve never taken the easy way out, I’m one of the biggest fighters in the game. I love what I do and I will continue to keep doing it and forming with my legacy.”

What do you think of the decision to reduce Sharapova’s ban from two years to 15 months?

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VIDEO CREDIT: CNN

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