JOIN USFormer world number one Maria Sharapova says she is not looking too far ahead after returning from a doping suspension but concedes she is eager to be competing for the biggest titles in tennis again.
The 30-year-old beat Christina McHale 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the Italian Open on Monday to guarantee herself a spot in the Wimbledon qualifying tournament.
She faces a battle to raise her ranking enough to qualify for the grasscourt Grand Slam by right and spare organisers the dilemma of whether to award her a wildcard into the main draw of the tournament she won in 2004.
The Russian is returning from a 15-month doping ban after testing positive for the heart drug meldonium at last year's Australian Open. Sharapova said that she was unaware of this week's rankings deadline for the Wimbledon qualifying draw.
"Oh, is it? See, I think maybe you guys assume that I know these things, but I genuinely want to take care of each and every single week, and every single match is a priority for me," Sharapova said. "When you've been out of the game and haven't played competitively in 15 months... The fact that I'm back and playing three weeks in a row now and three events in a row for me is a big deal. That's my focus."
Russian denied wildcard
Meanwhile in a new turn of events, Sharapova was surprisingly denied a wildcard into the French Open on Tuesday -- ending intense speculation about her place in the claycourt slam since she returned from a 15-month doping ban.
The decision was announced by the FFT on Facebook Live shortly before Sharapova was due to play her second round at the Italian Open in Rome. Sharapova's return has been dogged by criticism with several leading players voicing their disapproval at the decision of tournament organisers in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome to grant her a main draw wildcard.
Kyrgios withdraws
Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the Italian Open on Tuesday with a hip injury, casting doubt over his participation in next week's French Open, local media reported. Kyrgios was due to play Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round in Rome, but was replaced by lucky loser Alexandr Dolgopolov in the men's draw.
Kyrgios, who won two matches at last week's Madrid Open before losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal, needed treatment for a hip complaint during his first-round win over Marcos Baghdatis.