MARIA SHARAPOVA may have to wait until June 20 to see if she will be welcomed back to this year’s tournament at Wimbledon.

Sharapova, the 2004 champion at the All England Club, returned to the tour last week after serving a 15-month ban for doping and reached the semifinals in Stuttgart, leaving her ranked No. 262.

Sharapova is set to play two more tournaments, in Madrid and Rome, before the deadline for direct entry to Wimbledon qualifying. Deep runs at those events could earn her enough points to make the main draw, while she will also find out May 16 if she gets a wildcard for the French Open.

Wimbledon chief executive Richard Lewis said Wednesday there will be a meeting of the tournament’s tennis sub-committee June 20, when it will be clear which players have been accepted into the main draw. Wimbledon begins July 3, its latest start since 1895.(SD-Agencies)