London: Maria Sharapova’s spring schedule is falling into place, after the Mutua Madrid Open granted her a wild card on Wednesday. The tournament, which starts on May 5, is the third event to confirm Sharapova on the entry list, after the Stuttgart Open and the Rome Masters. “Maria is one of the best players of the last 15 years and also a past winner of our tournament,” said tournament director Manolo Santana. “In Madrid she always plays well, and I’m sure she will come back to the courts highly motivated and hoping to do well in her first tournaments.” Wild cards are the only way that Sharapova can access the big events after her 15-month doping ban, which runs out on the third day of the Stuttgart tournament. She will return with a ranking of zero, and her immediate goal will be to collect the 600-odd points that would allow her to earn qualification for the Grand Slams on her own steam.
At the moment, she is certain to need a wild card to play in the French Open. But if she performs well in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome, there is a chance she could avoid forcing the All England Club into making the same decision about Wimbledon.
A run to the final of one of these events would probably be enough to claim direct entry, or a couple of semi-final finishes. The cut-off for entry via rankings points falls on May 22, six weeks before the start of Wimbledon, so Sharapova will need to get her skates on to qualify directly. If not, the All England Club will be placed in an awkward dilemma. Yes, she remains a significant draw in a women’s field not overflowing with celebrities. Yet there would be an outcry if the club offered preferential treatment to a woman who failed to observe the World Anti-Doping Agency’s drugs code.
