Maria Sharapova returns to the Fed Cup for the first time in three years as Russia take on France this weekend.
Sharapova has only ever played two Fed Cup rubbers for her country, enjoying a couple of straight sets wins against Israel back in 2008. However conscious that she needs to compete in the competition in order to play the 2012 Olympics, the world number 13 is back in the side.
Sharapova's absence from the Fed Cup in the past has caused considerable friction with some of her team-mates and it will be interesting to see how the team dynamic is this weekend. On paper, they should win easily with Svetlana Kuznetsova also in the side. Kuznetsova came desperately close to making the Australian Open quarter-finals, losing the longest women's match of all time against Francesca Schiavone.
Russia have an abundance of choice for the two singles spots with world number 14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the world's top teenager and surely a potential slam champion of the future. Will she get the nod over Kuznetsova's experience ?
Whoever they select, it is hard to see France having a chance. They scraped back into the World Group this year and their highest ranked player is world number 67 Alize Cornet. Cornet and Virginie Razzano have been much higher in the past but not for a long time.
