Maria Sharapova given US Open wildcard

Maria Sharapova has been given a wildcard for the US Open – which will be her first time in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament since her 15-month drugs ban.

The 30-year-old Russian returned to action in April but was denied a wildcard for the French Open.

She then withdrew from qualifying for Wimbledon through injury after deciding against applying for a wildcard.

The five-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one is ranked 148.

• French Open decides against giving former champion a wildcard
• Sharapova to miss Wimbledon qualifying through injury

Sharapova returned to playing without a ranking in April and rose to 211 in the world after receiving wildcards in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome.

She hoped to receive a wildcard for the French Open, but was denied one for both the main draw and qualifying rounds.

The 2006 US Open champion then elected to try to reach the Wimbledon main draw through qualifying, however she pulled out of the tournament having failed to recover from the muscle injury she sustained at the Italian Open the previous month.

She is currently suffering from a left forearm injury which forced her to pull out of this week’s Cincinnati Open. She withdrew from the Stanford Bank of the West Classic earlier this month after suffering the injury in her first-round match.

In June 2016, Sharapova was punished with a two-year doping ban for testing positive for heart disease drug meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.

It was reduced to 15 months following her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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