Maria Sharapova delays comeback, pulls out of Hong Kong
December 30, 2008 by jane
Filed under Maria Sharapova, Tennis
December 30, 2008 – Just as we were getting stoked to see Maria Sharapova return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, news comes that her return has once again been delayed.
The three-time Grand Slam champion, who hasn’t played since the first week of August when she pulled out of an event in Montreal, revealed via her Website that after 10 weeks of rehab in Arizona the pain in her shoulder remained and she underwent “minor arthroscopic surgery” in October to fix the problem.
The ninth-ranked Sharapova says that she is now pain-free but only began hitting 16 days ago. Although she is back playing, Sharapova feels she has not done sufficient training to compete at a high level. She has subsequently pulled out of the JB Group Classic exhibition event in Tokyo, scheduled to be held January 7-10, 2009.
“It’s with much disappointment that I have to withdraw from Hong Kong,” said Sharapova in a statement released by the tournament.
“I’ve been using this event for the last five years to get ready for the new season, in fact Hong Kong has been successful in preparing me for the Australian Open.”
The 21-year old Sharapova confirmed that she did not expect the injury to hamper her chances of defending her Australian Open crown.
After waiting months for her return to the court, let’s hope that’s not the case. See you in Melbourne?
