Maria Sharapova locks in comeback tournament in Stuttgart

Five-time grand slam champion Maria Sharapova will return to competitive action following a 15-month doping ban at the Stuttgart Grand Prix in April.

Florida-based Sharapova was originally banned for two years after testing positive for meldonium at last year's Australian Open.

The former world number one, one of the highest-paid athletes in the world in the past decade, admitted she had used meldonium for years and was not aware it had been banned since the start of 2016.

Her suspension was later cut to 15 months on appeal.

"I could not be happier to have my first match back on tour at one of my favourite tournaments," the Russian said.

"I can't wait to see all my great fans and to be back doing what I love."

Sharapova, who won the indoor clay event three years running from 2012, will return to action in time to contest the season's second major at Roland Garros, beginning on May 22.

The Stuttgart field will be led by current world number one Angelique Kerber and is set to start on April 24, with Sharapova slated to play her first match on the 26th.

"I'm really happy for Maria that she's back after a long break. Particularly pleasing for me is that it's going to be our audience that gets to watch her comeback live," tournament director Markus Guenthardt said.

"[It] ... is certain to be one of the sporting and emotional highlights of our anniversary tournament."

Sharapova, who will turn 30 on April 19, had earned US$29.7 million in 2015 as the world's highest-paid female athlete.

She had called the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) original ruling "unfairly harsh" as an independent tribunal had found she had not intentionally violated anti-doping rules.

Reuters

 

Author: 
www.abc.net.au