Thursday, February 12, 2009

Sharapova's return to tour still on hold

PARIS (AP) -Maria Sharapova's return to tennis is still on hold, and even the Russian is not sure when her injured right shoulder will be ready.

After missing the past two Grand Slam tournaments - last year's U.S. Open and this year's Australian Open - Sharapova pulled out of this week's indoor event in Paris, and next week's hard-court event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The earliest she expects to be back is a month from now: Her next scheduled event, according to the WTA Tour's Web site, is the March 11-22 tournament in Indian Wells, California.


Sharapova wrote on her Web site last week that she is "aiming'' to return at that event or the March 25-April 4 tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida, "depending on how things shape up.''

"I cannot wait to get back to playing tournaments,'' the three-time Grand Slam champion wrote.

Sharapova has not played competitively since pulling out of a tournament in Montreal in late July after winning a nearly three-hour match in which she double-faulted 17 times. The right-hander was examined by a trainer midway through the three-set victory, and she withdrew from the event before her next match.

Medical tests later found a torn rotator cuff tendon in her shoulder.




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Sharapova’s return to tour still on hold
Sharapova’s return to tour still on hold