Petra Kvitova dismantled Maria Sharapova in the 2011 Wimbledon final and isn't dismissing the Russian's importance to the WTA Tour.

"The tour is missing Maria, I think," Kvitova told the media in Beijing.

Watch: Sharapova Suspension Reduced

The Court of Arbitration for Sport shortened Sharapova's doping suspension to 15 months, which means she can return to the pro circuit in time for the 2017 Roland Garros.

Sharapova has not played a match since losing to Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January. She is one of several world No. 1 players sidelined from the the WTA Tour for a substantial stretch this season. Victoria Azarenka is pregnant and expecting her first child, Ana Ivanovic shut down her season to recover from injury and Serena Williams may well miss the rest of the season nursing a knee injury.

Questioned if Sharapova's return will be positive for the tour, Kvitova replied: "Who knows? I mean, we just have to wait what's happen. I think it's pretty early to say anything about."

Asked if she believes Sharapova's shortened suspension is fair, Dominika Cibulkova replied: "You can only respect that. The decision is the decision. There is nothing else I can say about it."

Last spring, Cibulkova blasted Sharapova as "a totally unlikeable person... Arrogant, conceited and cold."

While the eighth-ranked Slovak didn't discuss the CAS ruling in depth, she said her opinion of Sharapova has not changed.

"Yeah, I knew what I said (about Sharapova). I'm not changing my opinion," Cibulkova told the media in Beijing. "I just don't want to talk about it anymore, yeah. It's the same."


Photo credit: Zimbio