Maria Sharapova confirms next move by accepting wildcard

Sharapova is currently ranked No 41 in the world after serving a 15-month ban that stretched over the whole of 2016 and then suffering a series of injuries that hampered her 2017 progress.

The Russian has been relying on wildcard entries to help her play in the biggest tournaments and today the Dubai Championship authorities have confirmed that she will head to the UAE for the competition which starts on February 26.

“Maria Sharapova is one of the most famous athletes in the world, and in 2014 she became the first tennis player, male or female, to pass 15 million fans on Facebook” said tournament director Salah Tahlak.