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The five-time Grand Slam champion and a former world no. 1 Maria Sharapova has played just three tournaments so far in 2019, losing in the quarter-final of Shenzhen and the fourth round in Melbourne. Maria was forced to withdraw after beating Daria Gavrilova at St.
Petersburg Ladies Trophy at the end of January due to a right shoulder injury, struggling to play injury-free ever since she came back to competition in 2017 due to a thigh, left arm, forearm and shoulder troubles. After seeking different options, the 32-year-old decided to undergo a small procedure in February, announcing the withdrawal from both Indian Wells and Miami.
Returning to the practice court, Maria worked hard on physical strength and started to hit the ball again, skipping all the action on clay and training for a few days in London on an indoor court. Heading to Mallorca, Sharapova spent a week on the paradise island and worked on grass court before deciding to accept a wild card for the next week's Mallorca Open, joining Angelique Kerber, Victoria Azarenka, Belinda Bencic, Elise Mertens, Caroline Garcia, Sofia Kenin and Amanda Anisimova.
Between 2004-2012, Sharapova played in seven WTA finals on grass, winning Wimbledon in 2004 and two Birmingham crowns. “I am happy to announce that I will be accepting the wild card to play the Mallorca Open,” said Sharapova.
“I want to thank the tournament for the opportunity and all my amazing fans for the support in the last four months”. “As the tournament director of the Mallorca Open and as a born Mallorcan, I'm thrilled to welcome the top stars of the tennis world like Maria Sharapova, Angelique Kerber and Viktoria Azarenka to WTA tournament that takes place on our beautiful island,” Tony Nadal said.
