Maria Sharapova wins first match on return from 1. STUTTGART, Germany Looking relieved, Maria Sharapova waved to the crowd and blew kisses after winning her first match on her return from a 1. Wednesday. The five time Grand Slam champion and former No. Roberta Vinci 7 5, 6 3 in the opening round of the Porsche Grand Prix. Sharapova had earlier been given a lukewarm welcome by the 4,5. It was the best feeling in the world, Sharapova said about finally stepping on court again for a professional match. I have been waiting for this a long time. Sharapova said she had a pretty normal life and grew as a person while being away from the circuit, until getting back to tennis training in January. Wednesdays match was the Russians first since losing to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals of the 2. Australian Open, and her first match on clay in nearly two years. Against the 3. 6th ranked Italian, Sharapova had a shaky start, conceding seven of the first eight points and dropping the opening two games within five minutes. She finally took her fifth chance in the third game to break Vincis serve. Watch Hidalgo Online on this page. Mental Performance, WorkLife Balance, and the Rise to the Top Maria Sharapova 72 Comments. Early life. Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987, in Nyagan, Russian SFSR. Her parents, Yuri and Yelena, are from Gomel, Belarussian SSR. Concerned about the. Apart from producing a string of unforced errors, Sharapova also showed flashes of her old self with several outstanding returns and cross court winners, mostly followed by her trademark fist pump. When Vinci held serve to go 5 4 up, the Italian had already won more games than in her two previous matches, both two set defeats, against Sharapova. The Russian, however, broke again and converted her second set point with a forehand winner to take the opener. Sharapova took control of the second set after an early break and held off three break points in her following service game. She dropped only two points on serve in the rest of the match and closed out the win on Vincis serve. Last year, Sharapova tested positive for the banned substance meldonium. She had her initial two year ban reduced to 1. Court of Arbitration for Sport, which ruled that the Russian bore less than significant fault in the case and that she could not be considered to be an intentional doper. Sharapova had been taking meldonium for many years, but overlooked an announcement by the World Anti Doping Agency that it added the drug to its banned list on Jan. As a result of the suspension, Sharapova lost her ranking. But the three time winner from 2. Stuttgart event. Organizers in Madrid and Rome followed the example and handed her a wild card for their events in May as well. Andy Murray Outfits at TennisPoint. Wide choice of Andy Murray tennis products rackets, clothing, shoes, equipment Fast delivery 30 Days Money Back Guarantee. Several players, including Vinci, have criticized the invitation for a player who has been caught doping. Its good that shes back, Vinci said after the match. I think its good for tennis that she has come back. Vinci added She played good, shes a great player. She is coming back after a long time but shes back not after an injury so she has practiced a lot at home, she was really focused today and really aggressive. Earlier Wednesday, Sharapova completed a one hour training session on an empty center court. Because her suspension ended only at midnight, she had not been allowed to use official tournament facilities before, forcing her to visit a local tennis club in Stuttgart for training since last weekend. Sharapova next plays fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova, who upset the seventh seeded Agnieszka Radwanska Tuesday. In other first round play, Kristina Mladenovic beat Australian Open semifinalist Mirjana Lucic Baroni 6 4, 6 2 to set up a second round match against the top seeded defending champion, Angelique Kerber. Sixth seeded Johanna Konta defeated Naomi Osaka 7 6 5, 3 6, 6 1, while Carla Suarez Navarro and Elena Vesnina also advance. Simona Halep became the first player to reach the quarterfinals after beating Barbora Strycova 6 2, 6 3. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Watch Maria Sharapova: The Point Online' title='Watch Maria Sharapova: The Point Online' />The toxic issue of wildcards for Maria Sharapova now appears to have spilled over into domestic British tennis with a row involving the Russian breaking out at the LTA. In the summer of 2004, seventeenyearold Maria Sharapova became the first Russian player to win Wimbledon, the prestigious tennis event that takes place. Maria Sharapovas memoir Unstoppable out Sept. PEOPLE. Maria Sharapova promoting her Sugarpova chocolate line at a trade fair in Cologne, Germany in January. Photo Andreas RentzGetty Images.