Sharapova claims statement victory over Vinci in her first match back from doping ban

While she could not escape some early nerves – she double-faulted once on her way to a 0-2 deficit – she recovered immediately to draw level.

The dramatic build-up to her return from suspension did not subside once she stepped on court. Sharapova coming back to tennis after 15 months was a big deal and it seemed like the whole world was watching. Even some of her fellow players were in the stands including Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Makarova.

Vinci, down to No35 in the world after peaking at No7 back in 2015 when she made the US Open final, saved one break point after the other as Sharapova kept upping the pressure on the Italian’s serve with some signature return winners.

She produced a clutch hold that included two aces to level at 5-5 and finally converted a break point in the next game to inch ahead. She served out the set comfortably to wrap up a 59-minute opening stanza.

Sharapova quickly went up a break in the second set, mixing up her shots with the odd dropper, and serving well when she needed to. She finished the contest with an impressive tally of 11 aces to move into the second round.

“It’s the best feeling in the world to walk out (on court), it’s been a stage of mine since I was a young girl and it was very special,” said Sharapova who celebrated her win with a succession of double fist pumps and a broad smile before blowing kisses to all corners of the Porsche Arena. “I have been waiting for this a long time.”

The victory came on the same day the French Tennis Federation (FFT) revealed they will make the announcement of their decision on whether they will grant Maria Sharapova a wildcard for the Roland Garros main draw via a Facebook Live on May 16.

Sharapova – who has already moved up to a provisional live ranking of 510 – must reach the Stuttgart final in order to clinch a spot in the Roland Garros qualifying draw. Much has been made on whether the 30-year-old, who is now a doping offender (CAS ruled that it was unintentional), should be granted wildcards into the majors and other events.

Canadian former Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard is the latest to oppose tournaments’ decision to invite Sharapova (she has wildcards for Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome so far) and went full blast on her former idol saying: “She’s a cheater. I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again.”

Ex-world No1 Andy Roddick said it was naive to fault tournaments for doing what is best for them.

The American said in an interview with www.insidetennis.com: “It seems a little a naive to me. I have a hard time having people trying to play judge and jury after time has been served…Do I think she deserves a wildcard? Sure, I think the wildcard should go to the people who can generate the most interest.

“How do you define wildcard? It should go to someone who generates the most interest, someone who can actually make a run [in the tournament] or some of the best players available to a given tournament. She fits the criteria of all of those. I don’t have a problem with it and I’m not going to criticize a tournament for doing what’s in their best interest.”

POST-MATCH VERDICT

As expected, Sharapova looked in great shape in her first match back. She spent 15 months preparing for this moment and delivered in impressive fashion. In a high-pressure situation, she rose above it all and got the win. Her movement was great, she showed variety in her shots and fired 11 aces. Her first serve percentage was a bit low – 59 per cent – but was only broken once, in her first service game. She is 6-0 head-to-head against Makarova and can be expected to move into the quarter-finals.

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