Marin Cilic will be able to play at the Paris Masters after his nine-month suspension for doping was reduced to four months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The 25-year-old Croat tested positive for the banned substance,nikethamide after being beaten in the first round of the BMW Open in Munich by Ivan Dodig and was given a suspension in September which was backdated to 1st May.
The International Tennis Federation had wanted Cilic to be banned for two years but the Court of Arbitration for Sport has issued a statement that read: "The panel determined that the degree of fault committed by the athlete was inferior to that established in the (tribunal) decision.
"The panel also determined that the sanction imposed was too severe in view of the degree of fault and concluded that it should be reduced to four months."
According to the betfair website, Cilic had said last month: “I can confirm that the substance in question originated from a glucose tablet purchased at a pharmacy in France. Unbeknownst to me, the glucose tablets contained a substance that is banned in competition (although it is allowed out-of-competition).”
Cilic, who reached a career high of nine in the world rankings in February 2010 but is now down at 47, has also been handed an immediate boost as he will regain the points he gained at a host of tournaments including the French Open, Wimbledon, and the Aegon Championships, where he was runner-up to Andy Murray.
Cilic, who has won nine tournaments during his career, including at Queen’s in 2012 and at this year’s Zagreb Indoors event, reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2008 and 2012, and is proving a popular pick for the future with fans of tennis betting on betfair.
His best run at a Grand Slam tournament came at the 2010 Australian Open when he reached the semi-finals.
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