Maria Sharapova is set to play in Las Vegas next week at the World Team Tennis Smash Hits exhibition event hosted at Caesars Palace.
The appearance will be the first time the public has seen the former world No.1 in action since the Court of Arbitration for Sports reduced her doping ban to 15 months. Sharapova will play alongside John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Martina Navratilova, Mardy Fish and Mark Philippoussis in the charity event.
“I am really excited to get back on the court for a great cause,” said Sharapova. “I have been wanting to play this event for Billie and Elton for a long time so I am looking forward to a great night of tennis.”
The exhibition will see two mixed teams play against each other over a series of sets. Billie Jean King and Elton John will be the team captains. Money raised from the annual event will go towards the Elton John Aids Foundation and other aids charities. Since the first annual exhibition in 1993, the Smash Hits event has raised $14 million for charity.
Sharapova is currently prohibited from playing is tour matches until late April, however, she is allowed to play exhibition tournaments. The 29-year-old will return to the tour during the clay court season and will have no official ranking due to her absence. On the other hand, due to the fact she is a former world No.1 Sharapova has the luxury of unlimited wild cards. One of the tournaments she will be aiming to play at is the French Open. Tournament officials have remained coy about if they will reward Sharapova a wildcard.
“The list of wild cards is decided 15 days before the tournament; we have time to think about it,” the tournament’s press service told Tass.
As Sharapova relishes in her latest victory against her ban, the ITF has hit back at claims made by the Russian earlier this week. In a recent interview with Charlie Rose, Sharapova accused the ITF of trying to ban her four four years and making an example of her.
“The ITF did not ‘try to ban Ms Sharapova for four years’. The ITF took the position that it is the independent tribunal’s responsibility to determine what the appropriate sanction should be,” they said a statement to the British Press Association.
“This included the decision as to whether Ms Sharapova met the requirements set out in the tennis anti-doping programme – which are the same as those in the WADA code – for a reduction from the default four-year suspension for the use of a non-specified substance such as meldonium.”
Sharapova will be eligible to compete in tour competitions from April 26th onwards.
