Former world number one Maria Sharapova has cancelled her participation in the WTA Premier Mandatory Tournament in Miami starting Tuesday due to an arm injury.
“I’m very sorry I can’t compete in one of my favourite tournaments because of a left forearm injury,” Sharapova said in an official statement,”I’ll give my all to get back on the tour as soon as possible”.
For the five-time Grand Slam winner, Jennifer Brady from the USA moves into the main field. Miami tournament director James Blake showed understanding for the Russian:”I know how much Maria would have liked to have played in Miami this year, I can understand her disappointment.
Sharapova had already failed in the first round at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Two days after the 4:6, 4:6 defeat against the aspiring Japanese Naomi Osaka, the 30-year-old separated from her long-term coach Sven Groeneveld.
Interview with Maria Sharapova
The current world rankings-41. since her return to the WTA tour in April 2017 after a doping ban, “MaSha” has been searching for her old form and constancy.
Since their comeback around eleven months ago, Sharapova’s list of successes so far includes the semi-finals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, the round of 16 at the US Open in New York, the tournament victory in Tianjin and a semi-finals in Shenzhen at the beginning of this season.