Maria Sharapova granted US Open wildcard

Five-time major champ Maria Sharapova will play her first Grand Slam event since serving a 15-month doping suspension.

Maria Sharapova of Russia competes against Jennifer Brady of the United States during day 1 of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford University Taube Family Tennis Stadium on July 31, 2017 in Stanford, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Maria Sharapova will make her first appearance at a grand-slam tournament since her drug ban after being handed a wildcard for the US Open.

Sharapova, 30, was guaranteed a place in the qualifying event by virtue of her ranking of No 148. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has decided, however, to give the 2006 champion a spot in the main draw, which begins in 12 days’ time.

She tweeted: “Thank you, @usopen. This is so so special. #goosebumps.”

Thank you, @usopen. This is so so special. #goosebumps https://t.co/MnolaaqKsN

— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) August 15, 2017

It is a controversial decision to give a grand-slam wildcard to a doping offender, who is yet to improve her ranking to the required level for direct entry — generally the top 100 —after serving a 15-month suspension.

Last month, Chris Evert, the 18-times grand-slam singles champion, said that Sharapova should not be handed a wildcard, citing the “different status” of a major tournament compared with regular tour events. But the USTA insisted yesterday that it did not consider the Russian’s doping violation during their discussions.

“Her suspension under the terms of the anti-doping program was completed and therefore was not weighed in our wildcard selection process,” a USTA spokesman said.

In return, Sharapova has volunteered to speak to young American tennis players about the anti-doping program in tennis and the responsibilities that fall on players to comply.

The French Open decided against giving Sharapova a wildcard to “protect the high standards” of the sport, while Wimbledon avoided having to make any decision after she announced her intention to play in qualifying before withdrawing due to injury.

She pulled out of the Rogers Cup in Montreal and Cincinnati Masters this month, but is understood to be confident of recovering for New York.

THE TIMES