Boris Becker says Maria Sharapova should be given a 'second chance', and he hopes she receives the 'welcome she deserves' when she returns to tennis in April.

The former Wimbledon champion thinks Sharapova should be given a fresh start after serving a 15-month ban for testing positive for the banned substance Meldonium.

The German, who coached Novak Djokovic for three years until December, credited Sharapova's 'determination' in wanting to come back to the top level at the age of 29 but warned she will not find it easy.

Maria Sharapova trains with a weighted ball as she prepares for her comeback

Boris Becker says Sharapova should be given a 'second chance' on her return to tennis

Sharapova is currently serving a 15-month doping ban after testing positive for meldonium

The German credited Sharapova's 'determination' in wanting to come back to the sport

Speaking at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco on Tuesday, he said: 'I am a believer in second chances. She was punished, she did something she wasn't meant to do, she was out of the game for a while.

'Hopefully she will be received with the welcome she deserves. It is not easy coming back, time has passed and the game hasn't stopped and it speaks for her determination that she wants to prove a point.'

Five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova was initially handed a two-year ban by the International Tennis Federation, for testing positive for the banned heart medication Meldonium at last year's Australian Open.

However, the ban was reduced in October to 15 months following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Sharapova's initial two-year ban was reduced in October to 15 months following an appeal

WHAT IS MELDONIUM? Meldonium is used to treat ischaemia: a lack of blood flow to parts of the body, particularly in cases of angina or heart disease. It is made in Latvia and only distributed in Baltic countries and Russia. It is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States and is not authorised in the rest of Europe. Advertisement

Becker made his stance on doping clear last April when he chastised Andy Murray for raising suspicions about whether previous opponents had been clean.

Last October, Sharapova made a return to the court when competing in the charity event WTT Smash Hits, alongside John McEnroe, Andy Roddick and Billie Jean King.

However, her comeback to the WTA tour will be at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, where she has a wildcard.

The tournament will be her first since the Australian Open last year, and special arrangements have been made so she does not play until 26 April, the third day of the tournament and the exact day her ban expires.

The decision to arrange the schedule in this way prompted controversy, but the WTA explained: 'Maria has been offered and accepted a wild card ... she will compete in the main draw on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, so this is in compliance with the rules.'