Maria Sharapova Says She Will Play in 2017 Wimbledon Qualifier

Maria Sharapova announced Friday she will play in a qualifying tournament in advance of Wimbledon after she was denied a wild-card exemption into the French Open.

In a statement on her website, Sharapova said she will "be playing the qualifying of Wimbledon in Roehampton and will not be requesting a wild card into the main draw."

The 30-year-old returned from a 15-month suspension in April for a failed drug test, and her road back to contention has been littered with speed bumps.

Although Sharapova won three matches at the WTA Tour Porsche Tennis Grand Prix before Kristina Mladenovic knocked her out in the semifinals, Eugenie Bouchard bested her in the second round of the Madrid Open.

Shortly thereafter, Sharapova was forced to withdraw from the Italian Open in the middle of her second-round match against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni due to a thigh injury.

On Friday, Sharapova said she has "already started getting treatment on the injury I sustained a few days ago in Rome and will begin my preparation as soon I get better."