Former world number one and two time French Open winner Maria Sharapova is set to return in the new year as she will return to tournament action at the Brisbane International?after being awarded a wildcard to play in the Australian Open warm-up.?
The five-times Grand Slam champion, who last played a competitive match in the first round of the U.S Open in August. The 32 year-old has been down with injuries and has been fighting to keep fit.?
The 32-year-old Russian will join current world number one Ash Barty, Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova?in a strong field at the Queensland Tennis Centre from?January 6-12.
Sharapova is currently ranked 132 in the world, and?lowly ranking means she will also need a wildcard to get?directly into the main singles draw for this year's?Australian Open, which begins on Jan. 20.
Sharapova won her third major title at Melbourne Park in?2008 but also tested positive for a banned substance at the tournament in 2016? and served a 15-month suspension? from the sport.?
A lethal force at the top of her game, Maria Sharapova has had quite a heartbreak after being banned from the sport. During her days of ascendancy, she was a force to be reckoned with.?
After getting back to fitness, the Russian will be looking to mark her return to court with some good performances. It is set to be a decisive year for Maria Sharapova and it might be her last foray to battle her way back to being the best.??