Maria Sharapova is set to appear at her first Grand Slam tournament for 18 months after being given a wildcard to the US Open. Russian Sharapova returned to action from her drug ban in April but was denied a wildcard for the French Open. She then withdrew from qualifying for Wimbledon through injury and opted against applying for a wildcard for SW19.
The 30-year-old five-time Grand Slam winner returned to the circuit without a world ranking, but rose to 211 after receiving wildcards to play in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome. She is currently ranked 148.
