Sharapova will play in Stuttgart
Alexander Zverev
Maria Sharapova will make her return to competitive tennis from a 15-month suspension at an April WTA clay-court tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, it was announced on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old five-time Grand Slam winner was suspended after testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.
Her two-year ban by the International Tennis Federation was reduced to 15 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and she will play her first match on April 26 — the day the suspension expires.
Stuttgart has always been a highlight for Sharapova, who has lost just once — to world No 1 Angelique Kerber in 2015 — at the WTA tournament and won the title in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
“I could not be happier to have my first match back on tour at one of my favorite tournaments,” said Sharapova, a former world No 1.
“I can’t wait to see all my great fans and to be back doing what I love.”
WTA CEO and chairman Steve Simon made the official announcement.
“Maria is eligible to return to professional tennis beginning on April 26,” said Simon.
“This will be the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart’s 40th anniversary and I’m sure the fans there will be excited to see her play.”
Sharapova has been given a wild-card invitation to appear in Stuttgart.
“I’m really happy for Maria that she’s back after a long break. Particularly pleasing for me is that it’s going to be our audience that gets to watch her comeback live,” said tournament director Markus Gunthardt.
Sharapova, who will turn 30 on April 19, earned $29.7 million in 2015 as the world’s highest paid female athlete.
world. Nadal has won only one of his 14 major titles at the Australian Open, when he beat a tearful Federer in an epic, five-set final in 2009. He will look to improve on 2016, when he was sent packing by Fernando Verdasco in the first round. Wawrinka dubbed Zverev the “future of tennis” after losing to the German in last year’s St Petersburg final, and it is a label that seems apt for the 6-foot-6 19-yearold. He is already ranked 24th and has two victories over Federer, most recently at the Hopman Cup. What’s missing so far is a deep run at a Grand Slam tournament, and Zverev was unlucky to come up against Murray in the first round in Melbourne last year. This time around, he will be under close scrutiny for signs that he is making good on his vast potential.
Banned for life
Meanwhile, Romania’s Alexandru-Daniel Carpen has been banned from pro tennis for life after admitting to a match-fixing charge, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) said on Tuesday.
The TIU found Carpen tried to involve another unnamed player in matchfixing activity in return for payment in October 2013.
Carpen, 30, reached a career-high singles ranking of 1,088 in November 2007 and rose as high as 274 in the doubles ranking in 2015.