For the first time in almost nine months, Maria Sharapova played tennis in front of tennis fans, joining a high-profile World Team Tennis Smash Hits charity exhibition played on a specially-constructed tennis court at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Look at this setting for tonight’s #WTTSmashHits ?#Vegas pic.twitter.com/JXbT0LdbFX
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) October 10, 2016
Refreshing the courts in her lovely Nike Fall Premier Maria Tank that the doping ban prevented her from wearing at the US Open, Sharapova was in the elite company of Mardy Fish, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Liezel Huber, Mark Philippoussis, Taylor Johnson and Andy Roddick, who were divided into two teams coached by Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King in a WTT match.
.@andyroddick took charge of a #WTTSmashHits selfie with the all-star cast at @CaesarsPalace. Here is the result! pic.twitter.com/2vxzd1qY3K
— Mylan WTT (@WorldTeamTennis) October 11, 2016
Enjoying the outstanding Las Vegas cityscape, Sharapova helped raise funds for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which received $600,000 during the evening.
A fun night with @BillieJeanKing and #WTTSmashHits pic.twitter.com/7dJEQwdnAb
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) October 11, 2016
WTT Smash Hits is one of event’s in Sharapova’s fitness-building comeback strategy. The Russian, whose Meldonium-related ban has been reduced from two years to 15 months, will return to the WTA tour in April 2017, either at the tournament in Rabat or in Prague.
She hit return winner against the serve of ANDY RODDICK !!!!!!!
Amazing what doping can achieve!
She is an amazing woman proven by the endless support from her fans and the people in the event.
This is nothing but an amazing comeback and I hope she will be even stronger because WTA Tour is not the same without her and Azarenka…