Former world number one Sharapova handed US Open wildcard

Sharapova returned from a doping ban in April but has struggled with injury. Credit: PA

Maria Sharapova has been handed a wildcard into the main draw at the US Open.

The Russian former world number one returned from a doping ban in April but has struggled with injury, which ruled her out of trying to qualify for Wimbledon.

While both the French Open and the All England Club had opted not to hand Sharapova a wild card for their 2017 championships, the United States Tennis Association confirmed on Tuesday she would be given an invitation to Flushing Meadows.

The 30-year-old won the US Open in 2006 and last played there in 2014, but will be unseeded for this year's event in New York.

Sharapova, who is 148 in the latest world rankings, sat out the Rogers Cup in Toronto and will also be will be absent in Cincinnati this week as she focuses on being fully fit for the final Grand Slam of 2017, with the US Open set to start on August 28.