Former World No 1 Maria Sharapova returned to tennis today after a 15-month doping ban. Sharapova is taking on Italian Roberta Vinci in the opening round of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

The International Tennis Federation had suspended Sharapova from playing because she had tested positive for banned drug meldonium. She had appealed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which reduced her suspension from two years to 15 months. She had also lost her world ranking because of the suspension.

Several players have criticised the decision to make her work her way up through the qualifying stages at Stuttgart instead of allowing her straight into the main draw through a wild card. Some also said the wild cards were “disrespectful” to other players and that Sharapova should not be allowed to play at all.

Sharapova’s last match had been against Serena Williams in the quarter finals of the Australian Open 2016, which she had lost. Williams, who is now world No 1, is set to take a break from the sport since she is having a baby in September.