As the season of 2016 is running out of days, for some of the Tennis lovers and those who have a genuine interest in it, a little dose of anxiety is reaching the surface. Maria Sharapova has a couple of months left of her banning period over the Meldonium scandal. With Sharapova making the headlines with her doping scandal, for tennis, things were rather hard (also being spiced up with some fixed match accusation regarding other players).
Once the dust settled, there remains the certainty that Sharapova will be eligible to compete in the WTA Tour next year, at the end of April.
Sharapova will play a unique match
In December, the city of Madrid will be the host of an event featuring the native tennis star Garbine Muguruza as well as Maria Sharapova. They will compete in what is known as the ''Battle of Surfaces." Its unique character consists of a tennis court half filled with clay while the other side will be made of grass. For many, this description might sound familiar and there is a legitimate reason to back it up.
A few years back, in 2007, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played a similar match. The 2007 event took place in Spain as well, but it was Palma, not Madrid acting as the host for a practical reason, this city is the place where Nadal was born.
For the 2016 event, having Muguruza and Sharapova as competitors is not a random choice.
Sharapova had success on both surfaces. In 2004, at the age of 17, she won Wimbledon (defeating Serena Williams in the final). Moreover, she is a 2 time French Open winner, namely in 2012 and 2014.
Garbine Muguruza is one of the players who might dominate the WTA Tour in the future. The 23-year-old tennis star won the French Open last June, outshining Serena Williams in straight sets.
When it comes to grass, she was a runner-up in Wimbledon 2015, being defeated by the same Serena.
Sharapova needs to think outside the box
For the Russian player, it is a great chance, as in the future she will need all the support. The doping issue shrunk some of the popularity she used to have. An exhibition event might be the right recipe to regain some of her fans, and maybe to make new ones.
Once the suspension is over, she`ll be allowed to compete, but she will have no ranking. Of course, there is always the wild card possibility but it is not a certainty. The 29-year-old tennis star must give everything in order to climb back where she used to be, and for that to happen, she needs all the support a passionate crowd can deliver.
