Maria Sharapova took a wild card to the upcoming WuhanOpen. It's a late-season comeback attempt that will impact her efforts in 2016.
The five-time Grand Slam champion needs a strong showing in China to protect her ranking, dust off some rust and stave off an early skid next year.
The Wuhan Open gets underway September 27. It marks Sharapova's return to the courts for the first time since she lost in the Wimbledon semifinals against Serena Williams.
This summer, Sharapova withdrew from the Western & Southern Open and the U.S. Open, citing a right leg injury.
Sharapova told the WTA Tour website, "I have been working hard to get myself ready to compete again, and I can't wait to get back out there."
She has to get back out there, otherwise her ranking could take a hit. Before withdrawing from the U.S. Open, Sharapova was in battle with Simona Halep for the No. 2 ranking. After reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Open, Halep leads Sharapova by nearly 1,000 points. Meanwhile, Sharapova, ranked No. 3, has only a 500-point lead over No. 4 Petra Kvitova.
So while Sharapova already nailed down a spot in the WTA Championships, she could not afford to skip the Asian swing.
Last year, Sharapova lost to Timea Bacsinszky at Wuhan, but she won the China Open in Beijing, which begins October 3 this year. No way could she walk into Beijing with three-months rust and defend her title. She desperately needs some matches under her belt.
Besides, she has few points to defend in Wuhan. A strong showing there provides some buffer in case she crashes out early in Beijing, where she has 1,000 points to defend.
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