Maria Sharapova handed US Open wildcard

Maria Sharapova has been handed a wildcard for US Open and will play in her first Grand Slam event since serving a 15-month doping ban

The 30-year-old Russian, who returned from her doping ban earlier this year, was denied a wildcard at the French Open before she missed the grasscourt season, including Wimbledon, with a thigh injury.

Sharapova's US Open preparations have been disrupted by an arm injury suffered during her first-round win over Jennifer Brady earlier this month.

The five-time major champion, ranked 148th in the world, was forced to withdraw from the Rogers Cup and the ongoing Cincinnati Open as a precautionary measure ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year.

The former World No 1 has not entered a major tournament since the Australian Open in January 2016, when she tested positive for the newly banned drug meldonium.

That led to a 15-month doping ban, which expired in April. She returned to the tour, but her ranking currently 148th was too low to allow entry into major tournaments, and the French Open denied her a wild card.

Sharapova planned to try to qualify for Wimbledon, but the 30-year-old Russian wound up skipping the grass-court portion of the season because of an injured left thigh.

The Russian player has been participating in tournaments via wild-card invitations, beginning in April on red clay at Stuttgart, Germany. She's only played nine matches this season.

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