But Sharapova said: "You always want to end your career or a chapter in your life on your terms and in your voice, and to be in a moment where you felt like it could have ended on someone else's terms was very difficult to accept.
"And that's why I fought so hard for the truth to be out.
"You don't realise how much you love something and how much something means to you until you lose it for some time.
Sharapova used the time off to enhance her business credentialsSplash NewsSharapova breaks down speaking about her ban in March 2016Getty ImagesSharapova signs an autograph at a sports conference todayAP:Associated Press
"When I’m out on court 28 and there’s no one watching, that’s when a lot of my trophies are being won.
“Will it be difficult? Absolutely. In tennis, you lose a lot of hand-eye co-ordination.
"Practice is never the same as match play, to face someone on the other side of the net.”
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Sharapova has spent her time away from tennis focusing on her business career.
The creator of Sugarpova sweets took classes at Harvard Business School and spent time shadowing NBA commissioner Adam Silver, at Nike headquarters and as an intern at an advertising agency.
Sharapova attends as an ambassador at an Evian events earlier in MarchGetty Images
The 29-year-old also wrote her autobiography, which is due to be published in September.
Sharapova said: "I learned that life is okay without tennis, which is a very scary thought because once you've done something for so long you think, 'What am I going to do when I don't have that?'
"But my mind and my body still have the motivation to be the best tennis player I can be. I got my day job back."
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