London — Former world No1 Maria Sharapova has been handed a wildcard to the Wimbledon warm-up tournament in Birmingham in June. The five-times Grand Slam champion learned on Tuesday she would not be given a wildcard into the French Open, with the question over whether Wimbledon will grant her one as yet unanswered. The Aegon Classic offered Sharapova the chance to fine-tune her grasscourt game after she committed to appear there in 2018 as well. "We have received a two-year commitment from one of the most famous athletes in the world, Maria Sharapova, to play the Aegon Classic," LTA CE Michael Downey said. "In return we are providing Maria with a main draw wildcard for this year. This wasn’t a decision we took lightly and we recognise not everyone will agree with it. "However Maria has served her ban in full and is now back playing high quality tennis.… Now that Maria has earned direct entry into Wimbledon qualifying, we want to give British tennis fans the chance to see her compete...
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