STUTTGART, Germany (AP) – Even with eight of the world’s top 10 players in the main draw, an unranked rival is grabbing all the headlines at an indoor clay-court event this week.
Handed a much-debated wild card, Maria Sharapova will return to competitive tennis at the Porsche Grand Prix on Wednesday evening, less than 24 hours after the end of her 15-month suspension for a doping offense.
The five-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 will have to rebuild her ranking from scratch, as only tournament results over the preceding 12 months count toward the WTA rankings.
With Serena Williams and Madison Keys the only top-10 players missing, the event starts with Sharapova still in the final days of her suspension. But the wild card for the three-time winner is hardly a surprise as the Russian is a long-term brand ambassador for the sports car manufacturer backing the tournament.
Organizers in Madrid and Rome followed Stuttgart’s example. But French Open officials have postponed a decision until the week starting May 15, as to whether they will also offer the 2012 and 2014 champion a place in its main draw.