Tennis: Maria Sharapova not seeking Wimbledon wildcard, to play in qualifiers

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Rome, May 19: Maria Sharapova, who recently returned to the women's tennis circuit after a 15-month ban for doping, on Friday (May 19) said she will not request an invitation to enter the main table of the Wimbledon tournament and will go through the qualifying rounds.

"Because of my improved ranking after the first three tournaments of my return, I will also be playing the Qualifying of Wimbledon in Roehampton, and will not be requesting a wildcard into the main draw," said Sharapova.

The 30-year-old, who was eliminated last Tuesday in the second round of the Italian Open, also explained that she has accepted an invitation from the Birmingham Classic, one of her "most memorable tournaments as a young player".

In the statement, Sharapova also said that she is healing from the injury sustained in Rome a few days ago, and that she will return to training as soon as she is better.

The five-time Grand Slam champions returned to competitions in April and competed in tournaments in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome.

IANS