'The biggest gift is getting my sport back': Maria Sharapova smiles at LAX after Madrid Open invitation
Maria Sharapova had good reason to be in great spirits as she caught a flight out of LAX Airport on Wednesday.
Mutua Madrid Open had just granted the 29-year-old tennis pro a wild card invitation to compete at their Caja Mágica tournament happening May 5-14 in Spain.
The Russian-born athlete donned a paint-splattered grey-patterned blazer over a light grey top, black cuffed trousers, and grey sneakers.
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Excited? Maria Sharapova had good reason to be in great spirits as she caught a flight out of LAX Airport on Wednesday
Surprise! Mutua Madrid Open had just granted the 29-year-old tennis pro a wild card invitation to compete at their Caja Mágica tournament happening May 5-14 in Spain
Maria scraped her newly touched-up flaxen locks into a bun and wore black cat-eye sunglasses over her make-up free complexion.
Sharapova hasn't stepped on a professional tennis court since the Australian Open over a year ago due to her World Anti-Doping Agency substance controversy.
Last March, the five-time Grand Slam champion temporarily lost sponsorships to Porsche, TAG Heuer, and Nike; as well as her United Nations goodwill ambassadorship.
The 6ft2in blonde had been taking the Russian heartdrug mildronate/meldonium - which optimises the use of oxygen - for a decade to treat 'magnesium deficiency and an irregular EKG.'
Jet setter: The Russian-born athlete donned a paint-splattered grey-patterned blazer over a light grey top, black cuffed trousers, and grey sneakers
Fresh-faced: Maria scraped her newly touched-up flaxen locks into a bun and wore black cat-eye sunglasses over her make-up free complexion
The International Tennis Federation will lift Maria's 15-month ban from the sport just in time for her comeback match happening April 26 at Germany's Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
'It's amazing when you think of time going by. You think that 15 month is a long time. But here we are just a couple of months away from my comeback,' Sharapova told RT last week.
'It feels like I had a simple life in a way which after traveling for so many years and playing so many tournaments, it was a nice break for me personally. It was nice being able to spend holidays with my family. Just to have normal quiet sit down dinner. Not just one night, but like few nights in a row.'
As for the SI Swimsuit model's plans for her 30th birthday coming April 19, she already feels like she got the biggest present.
Sharapova hasn't stepped on a professional tennis court since the Australian Open over a year ago due to her World Anti-Doping Agency substance controversy
Optimises the use of oxygen: The 6ft2in blonde had been taking the Russian heartdrug mildronate/meldonium for a decade to treat 'magnesium deficiency and an irregular EKG'
'#ISeeYou': The ITF will lift Maria's 15- month ban from the sport just in time for her comeback match happening April 26 at Germany's Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
'To be honest I got my birthday present last year when I knew that I was going to be back playing in April,' Maria admitted.
'I do love gifts, I love giving, I love receiving. That’s a little girl in me waking up on christmas morning. But the biggest gift is getting my sport back. It's getting to compete on the stage that I’ve missed for a really long time.'
And if Stuttgart doesn't work out, Sharapova can busy herself promoting her first memoir - co-written by Rich Cohen - which hits shelves later this year.
'One chapter ends, another one opens. That's life, and The Book that I'm holding the first draft of!' she wrote to her 22.7M followers on December 31.
Sharapova told RT on February 1: 'It's amazing when you think of time going by. You think that 15 month is a long time. But here we are just a couple of months away from my comeback'
'It's getting to compete on the stage that I've missed': As for the SI Swimsuit model's plans for her 30th birthday coming April 19, she already feels like she got the biggest present
'One chapter ends, another one opens': And if Stuttgart doesn't work out, Sharapova can busy herself promoting her first memoir - co-written by Rich Cohen - which hits shelves this year
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