STUTTGART, Germany: Maria Sharapova returns from a 15-month doping ban on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) with tournament promoters drooling over profit margins while rivals condemn the smooth road prepared for the Russian superstar’s rehabilitation. It will be her first match since a quarterfinals loss to bitter rival Serena Williams at the 2016 Australian Open. Just weeks after that defeat, Sharapova announced she had tested positive for meldonium. World number five Simona Halep, the fourth seed in Stuttgart, also believes that handing Sharapova a wildcard sends completely the wrong signal. On the eve of the Stuttgart tournament, world number eight Radwanska made similar remarks —and was then placed in the draw as Sharapova’s potential second round opponent.

Source: Manila Times April 26, 2017 12:22 UTC