The Organizers of the St. Petersburg Open have confirmed that they are looking into hosting a potential exhibition event featuring Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova is currently suspended from competitive tennis after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium earlier this year. She will be allowed to return to tennis on April 26th after successfully applying for a reduction in her two-year sentence to 15 months to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Due to her ban, the former world No.1 is ineligible to play in the Russian tournament, which begins on January 30th. Nevertheless, there is still a chance Sharapova could be present at the tournament with an invitation to an exhibition match. Tournament director Alexander Medvedev confirmed on Monday that he is already engaged in consultations about the potential event.
“We are in consultation with those who have the right to decide. I do not want to get ahead of ourselves. If the opportunity appears and Maria desires to appear before the St. Petersburg audience, we will make use of this chance,“ said Medvedev.
Shortly after the reduction of her doping ban, Sharapova participated in another exhibition event in Las Vegas for the annual World Team Tennis charity event, which raises money for the Elton John Aids foundation.
Sharapova has been under heavy criticism by numerous figures since the confirmation of her doping violation. One of her most vocal critics on the tour is WTA Finals champion Dominika Cibulkova, who described the Russia as ‘arrogant, conceited, and cold’ earlier this year. Fed Cup team mate Svetlana Kuznetsova recently hit back at those comments during an interview with Russian media.
“I do not understand her speech. My opinion about Masha: yes, she made a mistake. Now she’s got her period of ineligibility. That’s all.” Kuznetsova told Soviet Sport.
“Of course, well, that she will come back! This is a huge plus for all tennis. Maria has so many fans, she brings so much joy to all.”
There has been no public comment from Sharapova regarding her potential appearance in her native country.
Medvedev confirmed on Monday that Cibulkova, Kuznetsova and Simona Halep will feature in the 2017 tournament. He also confirmed that his team has invited ‘one of the Williams sisters’ to attend, but he refrained from providing further details. The St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy is currently categorized as a WTA Premier event.
