Maria Sharapova set to play Birmingham's Nature Valley Classic

LONDON: Former world number one Maria Sharapova is set to play on British soil for the first time in three years as she has officially joined the field for this summer's Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham.

Sharapova, two-time  Birmingham title winner, was last year granted a wildcard following her return to the sport after a 15-month doping ban. The June 18-24 tournament is set to be Maria's first on grass since she reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2015.

But a thigh injury sustained at the end of the clay-court season forced her to miss everything until the American hard-court swing.

Maria could not regain her best form after returning from a doping ban last year and split with coach Sven Groeneveld following a first-round exit at the BNP Paribas Open last month.

The five-time grand slam winner had lost three consecutive matches in California, the first time since 2003, and the Russian has since withdrawn from the Miami Open with a forearm injury.