MARIA SHARAPOVA will take a giant stride towards moving on from her 15-month doping ban later today when she faces Roberta Vinci in the first round of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
All eyes will be on the Russian on the day she is eligible to compete again – her first appearance on the WTA Tour since reaching the quarter-finals of last year’s Australian Open, when she tested positive for meldonium.
The former world number one, who rose to stardom by winning Wimbledon in 2004, admitted taking the cardiac drug at a press conference last March, insisting her only mistake was not realising the substance had been added to the banned list at the start of 2016.
Asked if she expected the suspicion to linger for the rest of her career, Sharapova told Vogue last month: “I think if I was trying to hide something, I don’t think I would come out to the world and say I was taking a drug for 10 years.
“If I was really trying to take the easy way out, that’s not a very smart thing to do. But the answer to your question is, absolutely.”
Sharapova is a three-time winner in Stuttgart, triumphing in 2012, 2013 and 2014, but the build-up to her return to the tour means she will not be able to take a warm welcome from the crowd for granted.
As she has had her ranking suspended until her ban, reduced from two years on appeal, expires, the 30-year-old has had to rely on a wild card to compete at this week’s Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
The Madrid and Italian Opens have followed suit with wild cards, and the decision to accommodate the five-time grand slam champion automatic entry to events she would otherwise not qualify for by ranking has drawn the ire of several prominent professionals.
Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki said last month the wild cards were “disrespectful” to other players while Agnieszka Radwanska suggested Sharapova should not be invited to grand slams.
Andy Murray, the current men’s number one and a noted hard-liner on anti-doping, said in the Times last month: “I think you should really have to work your way back.”
Even her opponent on Wednesday, Italy’s Vinci, joined the chorus, saying in the Times: “My personal opinion is that I don’t agree about the wild card here and about the wild card in Rome and the other tournaments.”
“She made her mistakes for sure, but she paid (for it) and I think she can return to play, but without any wild cards.”
Meanwhile, Johanna Konta put a difficult weekend behind her to reach the second round of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
The British number one travelled to Germany from Constanta, where she left the court in tears and was accused of gamesmanship during Great Britain’s fiery Fed Cup play-off against Romania.
Konta did not find things easy against teenager Naomi Osaka but took advantage of her opponent’s physical struggles to run away with the third set and triumph 7-6 (7/5) 3-6 6-1.
Konta had not dropped a set in two previous meetings with 19-year-old Osaka but clay is her weakest surface.
The world number seven struggled for consistency in the opening two sets but the key moment came when she saved two break points in the third game of the third set.
Konta broke the Osaka serve in the next game and did not look back, with the Japanese-American becoming increasingly bothered by an abdominal injury. Konta will face Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova in the second round.
The 25-year-old said on BT Sport: “I think obviously you could tell she was struggling, I hope everything is okay with her and she recovers quickly.
“It was just important for me to stay on my own game. Even though I lost the second set I didn’t feel like I did much wrong.”
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