Playing in her first match after serving a 15-month doping ban, Maria Sharapova returned a winner Wednesday in Stuttgart. The Russian former No. 1 overcame a 2-0 first set start to defeat Roberta 7-5, 6-3.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Sharapova said.

“I don’t know what type of expectations I had,” she added. “I’ve been visualizing it and thinking about it, but I don’t know. I think I was …

According to a report, Maria Sharapova wish for a main draw French Open wildcard will be denied. Daily Telegraph writer Simon Briggs broke the news yesterday, revealing the French Open will not give the former champion a main draw wildcard but instead likely offer her one into the qualifying.

The tournament is scheduled to officially announce their wildcards on May 15. Sharapova’s bid for a main draw spot has been …

Serena Williams didn’t take long to hit back at the comments made by Ilie Nastase over the weekend. During Fed Cup, Nastase was heard to have said, ““Let’s see what color it has. Chocolate with milk?” in reference to Serena pregnancy.

Serena took to Instagram with this statement:
“It disappoints me to know we live in a society where people like Ilie Nastase can make such racist comments towards myself and …

The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, started today, but it doesn’t really start until Wednesday.

That’s the day Maria Sharapova’s ITF ban for doping ends, and she’ll take to the court immediately in Stuttgart with a wildcard entry, to the disgust of many of her fellow top WTA players, and many tennis fans.

The 30-year-old will try and pick up where her career left off 15 months ago when she …

Thanks to his 10th Monte Carlo title, Rafael Nadal is now on the verge of passing Roger Federer for the lead in the 2017 ATP Race. Nadal added 1,000 points after beating Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and he now stands just 810 points behind the idle Federer.

Nadal now looks likely to pass Federer before the French and surely will be No. 1 heading into the grass.

52-week No. 1 …

BARCELONA OPEN BANC SABADELL
Barcelona, Spain; surface: red clay

Seeds: Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, David Goffin, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, Alexander Zverev, Richard Gasquet, Albert Ramos Vinolas, Pablo Cuevas, Philipp Kohlschreiber, David Ferrer, Mischa Zverev, Joao Sousa, Feliciano Lopez, Benoit Paire

Floaters: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, (WC) Tommy Robredo

Notes: Three of the Top 10 in attendance despite the late withdrawal of Kei Nishikori…Not a whole lot of floating talent, and all …

Belarus punched through to a first-ever Fed Cup final, where they will host the title-leading United States in November after defeating the Swiss in the Sunday semifinals.

Belarus, without new mother and former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, advanced when No. 96-ranked Aliaksandra Sasnovich stunned top Swiss player Timea Bacsinszky 6-2, 7-6(2), and Belarus teen Aryna Sabalenka, ranked No. 125, followed with an upset of Viktorija Golubic 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

“[She is] definitely …

Rafael Nadal won a 10th Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday, becoming the first man to win 10 titles at a single event in the Open Era (since 1968).

Nadal defeated fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-3 for his 50th career claycourt title.

“To win 10 times at such an important event like Monte Carlo is something difficult to describe my feelings,” Nadal said. “Every year has been a different …

By winning a record 10th Monte Carlo today, Rafael Nadal also become the first man in the Open Era to win 50 clay court titles!

Nadal can add to his total in the coming weeks at Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and the French Open! Overall, Nadal now has 70 titles (far behind Connors’ 109) but is now just one from tying the fledgling Novak Djokovic at 30 career Masters titles.

OPEN ERA CLAY …

Rafael Nadal made history today becoming the first man in the Open Era to win 10 titles at a single event. Nadal rolled countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas to capture his 10th Monte Carlo title, an extraordinary achievement.

“It is really unbelievable,” Nadal said. “Win 10 times in such an important event like Monte-Carlo is something difficult to describe the feeling. Every year have been a different feeling. At the same time is …

Another big event and another bad loss for Novak Djokovic. After early exits in Australia and Indian Wells, Djokovic once again flamed out before the semifinals losing yesterday in Monte Carlo to David Goffin in three sets 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.

Djokovic had some good patches during the match, but by the end it was Goffin actually wearing done Novak. It looked at times like Djokovic just couldn’t battle, and he …

Ilie Nastase is in the news and he’s in it for all the wrong reasons.

The 70-year-old 2-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 is, or was, the captain of Romania’s Fed Cup team this weekend.

First, Nastase dropped this on news of Serena’s pregnancy on Friday:

“Let’s see what color it has. Chocolate with milk?” Nastase was quoted as saying.

And then today, after getting slammed in the press for those remarks, …

Rafael Nadal probably didn’t need to get a beneficial call but he got one today in the Monte Carlo semifinals. The 9-time tournament champion was down early to the hot-handed David Goffin who held 3-2 with a game point when a Rafa backhand went long but the chair ump overruled. While the ump confirmed the out call (pointing to the wrong mark), the hawkeye system showed Nadal’s shot was long …

After an early exit in Monte Carlo and little match play in the last few months, Andy Murray has opted to take a wildcard into the Barcelona event which begins Monday.

“Having the world number 1 is a luxury and we now have the singles and doubles number 1´s (Henri Kontinen). It is the icing on a main draw that home fans will for sure value,” tournament director Albert Costa said.

It’s …

Novak Djokovic’s slump continued yesterday is another stunning loss, this time to David Goffin who had previously won all four meetings taking 11 of 12 sets. But in the Monte Carlo quarterfinals, it was the Belgian coming on top against a weary-looking Djokovic.

Afterward, Djokovic, who hasn’t made even a tournament semifinal since his Doha crown and has just one title in his last 10 events, was out of explanations.

“I …