Bad news for Maria Sharapova fans. She has delayed her re-entry into the tennis circuit again, pulling out of the upcoming Open GDF Suez and Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships in February because of ongoing shoulder problems.
Sharapova says on her website, “Right now I’m aiming for Palm Springs, or Miami, depending on how things shape up. I cannot wait to get back to playing tournaments!”
Those tournaments are scheduled for March. Hopefully she will be ready to go by then.
Sharapova’s right shoulder injury has caused her to miss a lot of tennis, including the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2008 US Open, as well as the 2008 season-ending Sony Ericsson WTA Championships. She also was not able to defend her 2008 Australian Open title last month in Melbourne. As a result she has fallen to No. 17 in the world rankings. It is the first time she has been outside the world top 10 since her victory at Wimbledon in 2004.
By the time she gets back into action, she will have a lot of ground to make up. Who knows. She may never be able to compete at a high level again.
