Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova has played in three events since returning to the sport in April. Reuters

Maria Sharapova has been given yet another wild card and will participate in the Rogers Cup that takes place in August in Toronto, Canada.

Following her 15-month suspension after testing positive for meldonium, the former world number one returned to action in April.

More from IBTimes UK

With her low ranking, however, she has been receiving wild cards, having been under scrutiny due to the number of such entries she was getting after featuring in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome.

While Sharapova was recently denied a wild card into the French Open, she was soon granted entry for the Aegon Classic in Birmingham by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

And now Rogers Cup have followed the other tournaments' lead by giving the Russian a wild card, due to the potential increase in ticket sales and media interest.

"Maria is a Grand Slam champion and a fan favourite," tournament director Karl Hale said in a statement. "She has served her suspension and we know our guests will be excited to see her play."

"She will join what is set to be a star-studded field, as we look forward to welcoming the best of women's tennis back to Toronto this summer. It should be a fantastic Rogers Cup filled with high-quality tennis and entertainment."

Sharapova, whose performances in the three tournaments since her return have seen her ranking go up to 173, will now return to Toronto for the first time since 2014, with her best result in the hard-court event coming as a finalist in 2009.

"I'm really looking forward to coming back to Canada," Sharapova revealed. "I have some great memories of playing Toronto in the past, and the tournament and the fans have always been so supportive. This is one of the biggest events of the year and I hope to play my best tennis that week."