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The Sharapova wildcard saga has been casting a huge cloud on world tennis, with players having divided views about Sharapova getting wildcards. While it is the decision of the tournament organisers to provide Sharapova with wildcards, but the ‘hate’ has been directed towards her, and not many have come out and empathised with her.

Sharapova has made it clear that she isn’t listening to what is being said about her ‘return’ in the press, and would like to focus on the job at hand, rather than indulging in off court conversation. Stuttgart was the first event to grant her a wildcard and since then tournament directors all over the world have been questioned if they would go ahead and do the same. While Roland Garros and Wimbledon are yet to take a call, it seems like they might eventually not have to make that decision, as the tournaments leading up to them could sort things out for Sharapova.



The Madrid tournament President, Gerard Tsobanian, in a recent interview with El Pais said that Sharapova isn’t just any other player, and deserves more attention.

“Maria is not just any player. She is a champion, a star who has won big titles and deserves a little bit more attention. She does not have to put herself at the back of the line and prove again that she knows how to play tennis. She knows how to play, because she showed it in the past and also in her return in Stuttgart, where she reached the semi-finals” Tsobanian said.

“Does she need to prove something? Stand in line and start from scratch? Sorry but no. I see it differently from the players who have been critical. She has had enough time to reflect. I have been with her and I have seen that she is very happy to be on the circuit again. She is a born competitor” she added.



Tsobanian also said that Sharapova’s inclusion wasn’t made to increase ticket sales, as Madrid is a big enough tournament to attract enough spectators, and doesn’t depend on one ‘particular’ superstar.

Maria Sharapova will not compete at the year's second Grand Slam, as the two-time champion was not awarded a wild card for the main draw or qualifying on Tuesday.

PARIS, France - Maria Sharapova was not a awarded wildcard to the 2017 French Open, as the full list of main draw and qualifying recipients was revealed by the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) on Tuesday.

The decision was announced on Facebook by FFT president Bernard Giudicelli Ferrandini, as the organization announced the full list of main draw and qualifying wildcards for the men's and women's tournament, set to begin in Paris at the end of this month.

The Maria Sharapova saga just refuses to go away. Wildcards have been given, wildcards have been refused, rules have been carefully manipulated, and in all this harakiri, Sharapova has managed to put up a decent show on court, enabling her to sneak into the qualifying rounds for Wimbledon.

Wimbledon authorities have decided to pounce on that opportunity and create history by broadcasting the qualifying rounds for the first time across Europe. Eurosport holds the broadcasting rights for the main event, and will be taking up the qualifying rounds as well this year, mainly because of the involvement of Sharapova.

Also Read: Maria Sharapova gets a wildcard entry for Rogers Cup

“We have already received terrific feedback from tennis fans following our live coverage of the qualifying tournaments from the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year, and we’re delighted to be able to do the same for Wimbledon too,” Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton said.

“There is likely to be some high-profile players taking part in the Wimbledon qualifiers in 2017, so we’re expecting huge interest in our coverage from right across Europe.” he added.

Sharapova had conceded that she wouldn’t be requesting for a wildcard for Wimbledon, as she is ready to go through the grind and does not want any favours from the tournament organisers.

The qualifying tournament will be played from 26-29 June, and will be ticketed for the first time ever. 1000 tickets are for sale, with each of them priced at 5 pounds. Proceeds will go to the Wimbledon Foundation.

This year’s Wimbledon would also include inflatable covers on two courts and will have an improved player lounge. With Wimbledon bringing about a host of new changes for this year’s championships, BBC went onto ask Richard Lewis, the All England Club chief executive, if all these changes were being ringed in for Sharapova, to which he said, “I know it does seem very convenient timing but it is actually unrelated, genuinely unrelated, and we know that qualifying needs to continue to be improved, just like we improve facilities here at the championships. It’s part of an ongoing process.”

While the facility improvement process must have been in Wimbledon’s plans, the broadcasting plans have certainly been brought in because of Sharapova’s involvement.