The tournament officials at the French Open had at least one piece of good news today following Martina Hingis’ withdrawal; former world number one Maria Sharapova will be competing in this year’s tournament.
Sharapova, who has been plagued with a shoulder injury for much of the 2007 season, has decided to not only play Roland Garros, but also a warm-up event in Istanbul, Turkey next week.
“It is so good to be finally getting ready for tournament play,” said Sharapova on her official website today. “Things with the injury are going well and am looking forward to making my debut appearance in Istanbul where East meets West, then heading to Paris again.”
The Istanbul Cup is also scheduled to feature Elena Dementieva and Venus Williams.
