File photo: Maria Sharapova hits a return to Eugenie Bouchard, of Canada, during a Madrid Open tennis tournament match in Madrid, Spain. Sharapova played her first WTA match in the United States since 2015 and beat Jennifer Brady 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 on Monday night, July 31, 2017 AP
Maria Sharapova has been granted a wild-card invitation for the U.S. Open's main draw.
Sharapova is among eight women who were given entry into the 128-player field by the U.S. Tennis Association on Tuesday - and by far the most noteworthy.
The former No. 1-ranked player and owner of five major titles, including at the 2006 U.S. Open, will be participating in her first Grand Slam tournament in more than 1+ years. Sharapova has not entered a major tournament since the Australian Open in January 2016, when she tested positive for the newly banned drug meldonium.
That led to a 15-month doping ban, which expired in April.
The U.S. Open starts in Flushing Meadows on Aug. 28.
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