The Court of Arbitration for Sport has revealed that Maria Sharapova's appeal case over a two-year doping ban will not be heard until September.
A ruling was originally scheduled to be made next Monday prior to the Rio 2016 Olympics, but CAS has confirmed that both Sharapova and the International Tennis Federation want more time to prepare their cases.
It has also been claimed that "scheduling conflicts" have resulted in the case being postponed, according to The AP.
Sharapova lodged an appeal after being issued with a lengthy doping ban last month.
The five-time Grand Slam champion was punished after testing positive for banned substance meldonium following her loss to Serena Williams at the Australian Open in January.
The 29-year-old Russian tennis star claimed that she took the drug for health reasons, but admitted that she was negligent after failing to check an email detailing the updated banned substances list.
CAS has stated that a verdict on Sharapova's appeal is likely to be delivered on September 19.
Danielle Joynson
