MARIA SHARAPOVA will not discover if she is to be awarded a Wimbledon wildcard until after a meeting on June 20, according to the All England Club's chairman Philip Brook.
The club's sub-committee, which will be chaired by former British No.1 Tim Henman, will then meet and make a decision on Sharapova, as long as the Russian does not qualify by ranking and submits a wildcard application.
Sharapova returned from a 15-month suspension last month following a positive test for meldonium and is due to play two more events before the May 22 cut-off date for direct entry into the Wimbledon main draw.
She is currently ranked 262nd in the world and could conceivably qualify by right if she does well at the clay-court events in Madrid and Rome.
But if the 30-year-old fails to accumulate the required points, Wimbledon will have to choose whether to grant Sharapova a free pass.
"We have a long-standing, tried and tested process," Brook said.
"That process is that in the week before qualifying we have a meeting of our Tennis Sub Committee. We discuss all the wildcard applications at that point in time. This year is no different.
"We will wait and see whether Maria applies for a wildcard and, if so, we will consider the case alongside everyone else's."
The committee will be made up of Henman, three club members including Brook, Debbie Jevans and Richard Stoakes, tournament referee Andrew Jarrett and two LTA members, Martin Corrie and Cathy Sabin.
Brook suggested Sharapova's status as a former champion – she won Wimbledon in 2004 – would be one of the factors taken into account, along with any decision made by the French Open, which starts later this month.
A number of players, including Andy Murray, have expressed the view that Sharapova should not be given any special privileges after returning from a punishment for doping.
On the considerations regarding wildcards, Brook said: "There are a number of factors taken into account which historically include looking at British players who we think might add interest to the Championships.
"We take a look at who has done well in the lead-up tournaments, those are important to us so we have in the past rewarded success in some of these tournaments by awarding a wildcard.
"And we will also consider what might add interest to the tournament, so if someone had a very strong playing record here at Wimbledon, that would be a factor in our consideration as well."
Sharapova is likely to gather enough points at least to gain entry for Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton, which will undergo significant innovations this summer.
Qualifying will be ticketed this year for the first time, facilities have been improved and one court will be available for live broadcasting. Brook insisted the upgrades were not linked to the potential participation of Sharapova.
Wimbledon's prize money has also been boosted. Competitors will receive £31.6 million in total, a 12.5% increase from last year.
The singles champions will each pocket £2.2m, which represents a 10% rise from 2016, while first-round losers will see a jump from £30,000 to £35,000.
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