Maria Sharapova Returns to the Court on ESPN2's Coverage of World Team Tennis

ESPN2 will air live coverage of the annual World TeamTennis (WTT) Smash Hits event from Las Vegas beginning at 10 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 10, from a specially-constructed tennis court along the Las VEGAS STRIP outside of Caesars Palace. The event, which is co-hosted by Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King and produced by WTT, will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Leif Shiras and ESPN's Pam Shriver will call the action with Mark Knowles courtside.

Maria Sharapova - one of only six women in the Open era to win a career Grand Slam - returns to the court for the first time in nearly nine months when she makes her World TeamTennis Smash Hits debut. Sharapova joins an all-star field that includes Tennis Hall of Famer and ESPN tennis analyst John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Martina Navratilova, Mardy Fish and Mark Philippoussis. Another new addition to the field this year is former world No. 1 doubles standout Liezel Huber.

The players will be split into two teams - captained by King and John - and play a WTT match featuring singles and doubles action. John is expected to participate in a celebrity doubles match to open the event.

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