Unseeded Maria Sharapova Returns to Australian Open as a Star

“I’ve got shivers,” Sharapova, 30, said in the post-match sunshine. “It means a lot to me. I cherish these moments. I love it. There’s so much more I play for than just myself, so many fans who come out from all over the world and watch in the middle of the night.”

Sharapova watched her sport from a distance for more than a year after her positive test in Melbourne during the 2016 event, which led to a two-year suspension that was reduced to 15 months after an appeal.

Though she returned to official competition last April, this is only her second Grand Slam tournament, and the first in which she did not require a wild-card entry.

While she remains unseeded here, she continues to get the star treatment: a spot on one of the tournament’s main show courts on Tuesday and, more mysteriously, a starring role in the Australian Open’s official broadcast of the draw last week, alongside Roger Federer.

It was a questionable gesture from tournament organizers toward a player who was suspended for a doping violation at their tournament, even if the Court of Arbitration for Sport did rule that Sharapova had not intentionally cheated.

Craig Tiley, the Australian Open tournament director, said Sharapova “deserved the opportunity” and indicated that the case had been adjudicated and that she had served out her sanction.

“I was invited to be part of the draw by Craig Tiley and the tournament organization, and I accepted,” Sharapova said on Tuesday, declining to comment on any criticism of her appearance.

But the Grand Slam leaders have not agreed on how to handle Sharapova. The French Tennis Federation president, Bernard Giudicelli, declined to offer her a wild card into the main draw or qualifying for last year’s French Open, even though she had won two titles there.

Wimbledon was also considered unlikely to offer her a wild card, although the All England Club leadership that runs the event never had to make that decision because she withdrew from the entire grass-court season last year with an injury.

With her level of play and enduring competitive streak, it seems exceedingly likely that Sharapova will be seeded at major tournaments again soon — at least until the majors make their planned move to 16 seeds, instead of 32, in 2019.

Sharapova was ferocious from the start on Tuesday, moving inside the baseline and striking the ball with relentless aggression against Maria, a 30-year-old German working mother who, with a world ranking of 47, is still one spot ahead of Sharapova.

Though Sharapova versus Maria sounds as if it could be self-defeating (and led to some pointing and smiling at the scoreboard on Tuesday), it was actually a contrast in styles: Sharapova’s flat strokes against Maria’s slice; Sharapova’s two-handed backhand against Maria’s one-hander; Sharapova’s offense and swing volleys against Maria’s defense, which often sent the latter scrambling into the shadows deep behind the court.

Maria made Sharapova sweat, particularly in a tight second set, but the bigger challenges lie ahead: in the next round either Varvara Lepchenko or the crafty Anastasija Sevastova, who beat Sharapova at last year’s U.S. Open. If Sharapova gets through that round, she would most likely face a revitalized Angelique Kerber in the third round.

Kerber won the title here in 2016 and eventually rose to No. 1 before struggling through the 2017 season. But she is back on the rise under new management: her veteran coach Wim Fissette. And after winning the title in Sydney last week, she defeated Anna-Lena Friedsam, her German compatriot, 6-0, 6-4 in Melbourne on Tuesday.

“Every draw is different and has its own challenges, and people are saying I have a tough draw,” Sharapova said. “These are the players I want to be playing.”

After having watched from afar, playing, in her view, definitely beats the alternative.

“When I was a teenager I didn’t think I would be playing past 30, definitely not, and here I am,” she said. “I think I might surprise myself on when I finish, and I don’t know when that will be.”

The New York Times