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Maria Sharapova given wildcard for US Open, will play first Grand Slam in over 18 months

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Getty Images

Maria Sharapova has been handed a wildcard for the upcoming US Open, tournament organisers have confirmed.

The 30-year-old Russian, whose 15-month doping ban ended earlier this year, will compete in her first grand slam in over 18 months at Flushing Meadows, where she won the title in 2006.

Sharapova was denied a wildcard at the French Open and was unable to compete in the qualifiers for Wimbledon after a thigh injury. She would already have been guaranteed a place in the qualifying draw due to her ranking (148) but the United States Tennis Association (USTA) has opted to hand her an immediate pass to the main draw.

Organisers at the French Open insisted they could not justify giving Sharapova a wildcard after her doping ban. However the USTA insisted they did not consider the sanction handed to her by the International Tennis Federation as the former world No.1 had already served her ban.

In a statement the USTA added: "Her suspension under the terms of the tennis anti-doping programme was completed and therefore was not one of the factors weighed in our wild card selection process.

"Consistent with past practice, a wild card was provided to a past US Champion who needed the wild card for entry into the main draw. Previous US Open champions who have received US Open main draw wild cards include Martina Hingis, Lleyton Hewitt, Kim Clijsters and Juan Martin del Porto.

"Additionally, Sharapova has volunteered to speak to young tennis players at the USTA National Campus about the importance of the tennis anti-doping programme and the personal responsibility each player has to comply with the programme's requirements."

The world No.148’s hard court season has also been disrupted by injury. Sharapova damaged her arm in her first-round win over Jennifer Brady in Stanford earlier this month.

Sharapova has since withdrawn from the Rogers Cup and Cincinnati Open in a bid to ensure she is fit for the year’s final grand slam, which begins in New York on August 28.