Sharapova to make her return to the grand slam stage thanks to US Open wildcard
Five-time major winner Maria Sharapova of Russia will play her first Grand Slam event since serving a 15-month doping ban after receiving a wildcard yesterday to the US Open.
Sharapova, ranked 148th, has withdrawn from US Open warm-up tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati the past two weeks after suffering a left forearm injury at Stanford.
Former world No 1 Sharapova won the 2006 US Open as well as Wimbledon in 2014, the 2008 Australian Open and the 2012 and 2014 French Opens.
But she tested positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open and was suspended by the International Tennis Federation, a ban that ended in April.
Since then, Sharapova has needed wildcards to get into tournaments due to her low ranking, drawing criticism from some of her fellow professionals on the tour.
Sharapova had been rejected from having a wildcard at the French Open in May, the first grand slam tournament that she was eligible to compete in after her ban.
Bernard Giudicelli, the French Tennis Federation president, had said at the time of the decision: “I’m very sorry for Maria, very sorry for her fans. They might be disappointed; she might be very disappointed. But it’s my responsibility to protect the game and protect the high standards of the game.
“While there can be a wildcard for return from injury, there can’t be a wild card for return from doping,”
After missing Wimbledon with a thigh injury, Sharapova played her first US match since March 2015 at Stanford, defeating American Jennifer Brady 6-1, 4-6, 6-0.
But in the triumph, Sharapova suffered the forearm injury that has sidelined her since, even after arriving in Cincinnati hopeful of playing as a wild card in the final major tuneup before the US Open, which starts on August 28.
“Following the doctor’s advice on-site, as a precaution for the US Open, I am unfortunately withdrawing from the tournament with the left forearm injury I sustained in Stanford,” Sharapova said.