Maria Sharapova welcome at Wimbledon if she is cleared of drug offences says chairman Philip Brook

Wimbledon chairman Philip Brook has said Maria Sharapova is welcome at Wimbledon as long as she is cleared of her drug offences, while also ensuring that they would increase their anti-doping measures this summer.

Sharapova, who won the Wimbledon in 2004, will face a tribunal in June to decide whether she should be banned for a period of four years after she admitted to testing positive for the drug meldonium at the Australian Open in January.

The Russian has a slim chance of playing at the All England Club with the International Tennis Federation tribunal set to take place before Wimbledon, which starts on 27 June, with Brook saying that no thought had yet been given on suspending Sharapova's membership if she was found guilty.

"It would be a great shame if Maria was not here. She is a former champion and very popular with the crowds. In terms of what happened we need to let due process take its course and an outcome be determined and see what happens after that," Brook said during his interaction with the media.

The former Wimbledon champion admitted to taking meldonium in March but she claimed she did not know it was on the list of banned substances. The drug helps increase blood flow and is taken by people who have magnesium deficiency and a family history of diabetes, both of which Sharapova claims she suffers from.

Brook spoke about how there will be an increase in anti-doping measures at the Wimbledon this year and an increase in the overall prize money for the tournament, with the men's and women's singles champion earning £2m ($2.9m) compared to £1.88 that Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams picked up in 2015.

The 130th edition of the Wimbledon Championships will be played at the All England Club in southwest London from June 27 to July 10.