{"id":12041,"date":"2020-01-08T08:26:45","date_gmt":"2020-01-08T12:26:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=12041"},"modified":"2020-01-08T13:28:23","modified_gmt":"2020-01-08T17:28:23","slug":"sharapova-given-wild-card-spot-at-australian-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=12041","title":{"rendered":"Sharapova Given Wild Card Spot at Australian Open"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Former champion Maria Sharapova has been given a wild card for the Australian Open.<\/p>\n

A combination of ongoing shoulder issues and poor form has seen the Russian drop to 147th in the rankings, well outside the cut-off for automatic entry into the year\u2019s first grand slam.<\/p>\n

Sharapova, the 2008 winner, said on ausopen.com<\/a>: \u201cTo be in the draw of the Australian Open is incredible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had wonderful experiences there, from holding the championship trophy to losing some very tough finals as well. There\u2019s been a lot of ups and downs in Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo to have another chance to compete on all those courts is very special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharapova\u2019s season began with defeat by Jennifer Brady in the first round of the Brisbane International on Tuesday after she sought hospital treatment for a virus.<\/p>\n

The 32-year-old will see her ranking drop further if she cannot match last year\u2019s run to the fourth round of the Australian Open, which included victory over defending champion Caroline Wozniacki.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, tournament organizers have announced Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios will be among the stars taking part in next Wednesday\u2019s exhibition to raise money for the bushfire relief effort.<\/p>\n

Share this:<\/h3>