Maria Sharapova has confirmed she will be heading to the China Open in October after taking up a wildcard invitation.

The Russian has endured a rough couple of years after serving a 15-month ban for doping before returning to the court in April.

However, she was forced to miss Wimbledon and the entire grass-court season with a thigh problem, while she had to withdraw from the Stanford Classic due to an issue with her left arm.

Sharapova was hoping to feature at the Rogers Cup in Toronto this week but had to pull out due to the same injury.

The 30-year-old has now released a statement to confirm she will travel to Beijing later this year to take part in the China Open, which she won in 2014.

Sharapova said: "Hello, my SharaFamily in China. I'm very happy to announce that I will return to Beijing and play the China Open this October.

"This is especially exciting as it will be my first tournament in Asia this year!"