Sharapova set to court controversy at Birmingham tennis tournament
Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova is set to court controversy after being handed a wild card entry to next month’s Aegon Classic tennis tournament in Birmingham.
The player has recently returned to the competitive tennis circuit after completing a 15-month drugs ban.
The Lawn Tennis Association has taken advantage of her pulling power by handing her one of seven main draw singles wild cards for this summer’s British WTA grass court events.
The deal will see the former world No. 1 play at the Edgbaston tournament for the first time in seven years. She has also committed to playing in the 2018 event.
Speaking about the announcement, LTA chief executive Michael Downey said: “We have received a two-year commitment from one of the most famous athletes in the world, Maria Sharapova, to play the Aegon Classic Birmingham. In return we are providing Maria with a main draw wild card for this year.
“This wasn’t a decision we took lightly and we recognise not everyone will agree with it, however Maria has served her ban in full and is now back playing high quality tennis.
“There’s always a lot of debate about who we give wild cards to. Now that Maria has earned direct entry into Wimbledon qualifying, we want to give British tennis fans the chance to see her compete on grass here in Britain beforehand.”
Her appearance will guarantee the event maximum publicity and it also means this year’s tournament has one of its strongest ever line ups.
Eight of the world’s Top 10 women players, headlined by British No.1 Johanna Konta and world No.1 Angelique Kerber, will be appearing.
Ms Sharapova said: “I am really excited to be coming back to Birmingham this year to play on the grass as part of my build up to Wimbledon and I thank the LTA for this opportunity.
“I have some great memories of playing there over the years, including winning the title on two previous occasions. I am looking forward to seeing all the recent improvements the tournament has made to establish itself as one of the best grass court events in the world.”
It will be her eighth appearance in Birmingham at a tournament she won in 2004 and 2005 when it was a Tier 3 event.
The remaining main draw wild cards for Birmingham and the LTA’s other events will be announced shortly.
The LTA said it expected the majority of these would be offered to eligible British players, but final decisions will be made in the coming weeks.
