The former world number one, wearing an orange top and lilac-coloured skirt, looked nervous as she walked out to warm applause for her first match since testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.
She was given a wildcard to play at the Stuttgart tournament which she has won three times.
Her initial two-year suspension was cut to 15 months but the 30-year-old is now without a world ranking and requires wildcards from tournaments.
Her return in Stuttgart has divided opinion just as she has done ever since she burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old Wimbledon winner in 2004.
Stuttgart is the first event to hand her a wildcard, which was not surprising as the tournament is sponsored by Porsche, one of the Russian´s many high-profile personal sponsors.Forthcoming tournaments in Madrid and Rome have followed suit.
With the likes of Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Petra Kvitova sidelined -- and potential heir Eugenie Bouchard struggling -- women´s tennis needs pulling power and Sharapova ticks all the boxes.
Vinci, the world number 36 who has taken just four games off Sharapova in two defeats, was echoing the opinions of Andy Murray, Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki in demanding the Russian work her way back into the game.
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