The early stages of the current season saw some solid comebacks in Tennis. Federer and Nadal did an amazing job in Melbourne. In women's singles, the Aussie final put on the table a family duel between the Williams sisters. The WTA Tour is lacking some of its biggest names due to different reasons. Petra Kvitova was the victim of a home intrusion, and her left arm is recovering from surgery. Victoria Azarenka gave birth to a child, and Maria Sharapova is still serving a ban after failing an anti-doping test last year in January.
Among the listed names above, Sharapova is by far the most successful one having won 5 Grand Slam titles throughout her career.
Stuttgart is on the radar
The first verdict in Sharapova's case shaped as a 2-years ban from tennis contests. The Russian appealed the decision, and in September 2016, she saw her punishment reduced to 15 months. That means she`ll be eligible for play starting from 26th April this year right in the middle of the clay session. It`ll be Stuttgart acting as a comeback stage for Sharapova, a WTA Premier event sponsored by the German car manufacturer Porche.
The clay court probably is Sharapova's favorite playing surface. She is a three times winner of the German clay event having won all titles in a row between 2012 and 2014.
When it comes to Grand Slams, the French Open also played on clay a is the one she managed to win it twice (2012, 2014).
Sharapova's career maimed by injuries
A WTA top player for more than a decade, Maria Sharapova was subject to a sinuous path. She struggled with many injuries, but each time she bounced back with great results. It's obvious that he failed to reach her complete potential. Back in 2004, she won Wimbledon being a teenager, but her success in Majors was sporadic compared to the existing expectations at that time.
She clinched the 2006 US Open, 2008 Australian Open and those 2 French titles in 2012 and 2014.
Now, she will return on the professional tour with no ranking position at all. She is expected to receive a wild-card in Stuttgart and also at the French Open. From a financial point of view, having Sharapova on the main draw of a WTA event is a winning recipe both for the public as well as the organizers of the tournament.