Wildcard for Sharapova
Print Edition
Former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova will return to tournament action at the Brisbane International this month after being awarded a wildcard to play in the Australian Open warm-up. The 32-year-old Russian, who last played a competitive match in the first round of the US Open in August, has dropped to 133rd in the world after a season in which a long-standing shoulder injury restricted her to eight tournaments. The five-time Grand Slam champion will join current world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova in a strong field at the Queensland Tennis Centre from January 6-12. “It’s a fresh start after a tough last season,” Sharapova told Australian Associated Press yesterday. “There were a lot of ups and downs, there were times when I was ready but the shoulder wasn’t. But I have had a fairly good offseason and I am motivated to compete. At this point in my career when I have that feeling, it’s a good sign.” Sharapova’s lowly ranking means she will also need a wildcard to get directly into the main singles draw for this year’s Australian Open, which begins on January 20.
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