Roberta Vinci criticises Maria Sharapova wildcard in Stuttgart
Wednesday 26 April 2017 11:37, UK
Roberta Vinci has criticised the decision to give Maria Sharapova a wildcard for the Stuttgart Open after her return from a 15-month doping ban.
Vinci will play Sharapova on Wednesday in the first-round match in Germany on Centre Court.
It will be the former world No 1's first game since her suspension for testing positive for banned substance meldonium at the 2015 Australian Open.
Vinci, the 2015 US Open runner-up, said: "She is of course a great player, I have nothing against her.
"She made her mistakes for sure, but she paid and I think she can return to play - but without any wildcards."
Sharapova has also been granted wildcards by the organisers of the events in Madrid and Rome.
The 30-year-old does not have a world ranking after her points expired during her suspension and would need to reach the final in Stuttgart to be eligible for French Open qualifying.
World No 8 Agnieszka Radwanska and former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki have also criticised the decision to give Sharapova a wildcard for the tournament in Germany.
Sharapova will find out on May 16 whether she will receive a wildcard entry to the season's second Grand Slam tournament, the French Open in Paris.
Meanwhile, Boris Becker said he hopes the Russian has learnt from the experience of being banned from the sport.
The six-time Grand slam champion told Sky Sports News HQ: "You can't criticise the tournament, she is the biggest attraction.
"But it's an open secret that she wasn't the most popular player on tour. Maybe the suspension hopefully will make her more humble and appreciative of the situation and that tennis has taken her back."
For those on the move, we will have the Stuttgart Open in Germany via our website skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @skysportstennis for news, reports, live blogs and expert analysis with updates on Sky Sports News HQ.
Non-subscribers can grab a NOW TV Sky Sports Day Pass for just £6.99 or Sky Sports Week Pass for £10.99. No contract. You can enjoy access to all seven Sky Sports channels and watch on a TV with a NOW TV Box or on a range of devices.
