The Return of Maria Sharapova

The first lady of competitive shrieking has returned.

The lovely and talented Maria Sharapova, fresh from her 15-month doping suspension, is back on a court near you.

Sharapova participated in something called the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix this past week through a very generous wild card granted by the tournament.

This kindness was not very well-received by her peers, particularly the equally blonde Genie Bouchard.

 

When not paying off ill-advised Super Bowl wagers, Bouchard seems to enjoy chastising Sharapova.Specifically, she's of the opinion that the two-time French Open champion should be banned for life.

 

 

That seems a tad harsh.

 

Sharapova tested positive for the banned substance meldonium and did freely admit to taking it. After all, it's sold over the counter in her native Russia. Still, that's a long trip for a refill, as she's lived in the USA since 1994.

Many positive tests go unpunished, though, and her initial suspension of two years seemed insanely long and unnecessary.

Mercifully, she was able to get it reduced on appeal.

On the court, Sharapova did look pretty sharp, advancing to the semi-finals before falling to the legendary Kristina Mladenovic in three sets.

Sharapova is back in the WTA rankings, clocking in at a robust No. 262.

This number will presumably drop soon, but not quickly enough. A victory over Mladenovic would've secured her an invitation to next month's French Open; those only go out to the top 200.

Now, she's got to hope for a wild card.

Nothing will be official until an announcement is made on Tue 16 May, but with Serena Williams pregnant, women's tennis needs the star power.

Sharapova will be there.