Sharapova to return next month as Brisbane wildcard
Former world number one Maria Sharapova will return to tournament action at the Brisbane International next month after being awarded a wildcard to play in the Australian Open warm-up. The five-times Grand Slam champion, who last played a competitive match in the first round of the U.S. Open in August, has dropped to 133rd in the world after a season in which injuries restricted her to eight tournaments.
The 32-year-old Russian will join current world number one Ash Barty, Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova in a strong field at the Queensland Tennis Centre from Jan. 6-12.
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 Jan. 20.
Source: Hindustan Times
