Tennis: Maria Sharapova spending her time off doing work experience

Maria Sharapova has extended her summer stay in London to include a week's work experience at a leading advertising agency.

The former world No 1 is using her time profitably while she awaits the delayed hearing of her appeal against a two-year ban for Meldonium use.

Sharapova, 29, was due to have her case heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland by July 18 at the latest.

However, it was announced that the process was being put back, thus ruling her out of having any chance of competing at the Olympics. So she has been spending a week in the offices of agency VCCP.

As revealed by Sportsmail, Sharapova came over to London during the middle weekend of Wimbledon, having attended a course at Harvard Business School.

She continued that at an offshoot of HBS at Marylebone during the second week of The Championships.

Sharapova is seeking to increase her business skills to help promote her Sugarpova brand of luxury candy, to which she has recently added a range of chocolates.

Just how long she will have on her hands to sharpen her business acumen remains unclear. At present she is serving a two-year suspension dating back to her positive test at the Australian Open on January 25.

She had pledged to return to the WTA Tour, with most independent experts believing she may get a backdated reduction to between 12 to 18 months.