A RULING on Maria Sharapova’s appeal of her two-year doping ban has been postponed until September, ruling her definitively out of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

    The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said Monday that Sharapova and the International Tennis Federation agreed to defer the decision, which had been due to be issued by next Monday.

    Lausanne-based CAS, the highest court in sports, said both parties wanted more time to prepare their case and also cited “scheduling conflicts.”

    A verdict is expected by September 19, the court said.

    Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1, tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open in January and received a two-year ban. She filed an appeal last month, seeking to overturn or reduce the sanction.

    The parties agreed then to an “expedited procedure” that would allow CAS to issue its ruling this month. Had the suspension been annulled, that would have made Sharapova eligible for the Olympics in August.

    The decision to push back the ruling to September also rules out any possibility of Sharapova being cleared to play in the U.S. Open, which runs from Aug. 29-Sept. 11.

    (SD-Agencies)