Sharapova, Venus Awarded Cincinnati Wild Cards

The Queen City welcomes Grand Slam royalty.Former world No. 1 players Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams have been awarded main-draw wild cards for Cincinnati.More: Coco Vandeweghe Sparkles in 2019 DebutThe 2019 Western & Southern Open is set for August 10-18th at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.It will be Sharapova's first tournament appearance since she retired from her Wimbledon opener trailing Pauline Parmentier 0-5 in the third set. The 82nd-ranked Russian has posted a 7-4 record in an injury-plagued 2019.Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova is one of just six women to have achieved a career Grand Slam. She is the last teenager to win a major title, doing so at Wimbledon 15 years ago at the age of 19. Sharapova spent 21 weeks in her career as the No. 1 ranked player.Runner-up to Kim Clijsters in her 2010 W&S Open debut, Sharapova defeated four Top 15 players en route to the 2011 title. She boasts a 13-3 record at the event in her career, including a run to the semifinals in 2014, her last appearance at the tournament.Venus Williams will continue her quest for her 50th career title.The seven-time Grand Slam champion has held the WTA No. 1 ranking for 11 weeks. She won the singles gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and counts three gold medals and 14 Majors among her 22 career doubles titles, all of which have come with her sister, Serena.