Maria Sharapova will be competing in Russia's Fed Cup first round tie against Spain in February.
"Not sure if everyone knows, but I will be playing Fed Cup for Russia versus Spain after Australia," Sharapova told her official website. "So glad we get to play in Moscow! I will have four weeks in the Australian summer and then a week in the Moscow winter."
Sharapova and her team-mates will have a quick acclimatization to get used to as they return from the heat of Australia to the chilly surroundings of Moscow in winter.
Sharapova has had a tempestuous relationship with the Fed Cup in the past and her lack of commitment to the competition has angered some of her team-mates. Players are forced to play a certain number of ties to be able to compete in the Olympic Games and Sharapova turned out for her country for the first time in many years for their first round clash with France last year.
However things did not follow the script as Sharapova crashed to defeat against Virginie Razzano on the opening day before being replaced for the reverse singles as Russia scraped through. Sharapova did not compete in any other ties as Russia went on to reach the final, losing 3-2 to the Czech Republic.
