Sharapova heads to Birmingham

Two-time winner Maria Sharapova heads a strong field for next month¿s AEGON Classic in Birmingham.

Two-time winner to play in AEGON Classic

Two-time winner Maria Sharapova heads a strong field for next month's AEGON Classic in Birmingham. The former world number one will play at the grass-court tournament starting on June 8 as she continues her comeback following nine months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury. The 22-year-old Russian believes playing at the Edgbaston Priory Club is ideal preparation for Wimbledon and she can not wait to return. "I'm really excited about getting back on to the grass courts again and playing in the AEGON Classic," she said.

Really special

"Birmingham is a really special tournament for me and I always get great support. I've won there twice before and I always feel very welcome - it's excellent preparation for Wimbledon." Joining Sharapova at the tournament is Jelena Dokic, another former top-10 player on the comeback trail. The former world number four reached the quarter-finals of this year's Australian Open as a qualifier, as well as making the final in Bucharest at the beginning of this month and improving her ranking to world number 80. Also confirmed are world number 15 Zheng Jie - who reached last year's Wimbledon semi-finals - as well as Kaia Kanepi, who is currently enjoying a career-high ranking of 18 and reached the semi-finals in Dubai earlier this year.