The tennis world was shocked to hear that Maria Sharapova, a well-known and world-renowned tennis champion, would be withdrawing from the upcoming WTA Championships during October 22-27. According to FOX Sports, Sharapova injured her right shoulder, which is currently hindering her tennis performance.
Sharapova (26) is a Russian-born Grand Slam tennis champion who now lives in the USA. She made her tennis career public in 2000 when she won the girls’ 16 division at the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships (Source: EddieHerr.com). According to the WTA (Women’s Tennis Assocation), Sharapova is currently ranked third among singles rankings and also has accumulated 6941 points to date.
According to the Inquisitr, Sharapova offered the following apology to her fans and followers:
“I am very disappointed that I will not be able to play in the WTA Championships this year. The fans in Istanbul have welcomed us each year with such intense passion and warmth. I will sincerely miss the energy and excitement they brought to the year-end tournament. I want to thank Istanbul for being a tremendous host and hope to play in Turkey sometime in the future.”
Due to Sharapova’s withdrawal, three more players have qualified, notably: Sara Errani, Petra Kvitova, and Jelena Jankovic. In addition, The Guardian recently announced that the remaining spot in the forthcoming WTA Championships will go to Angelique Kerber, a highly ranked German tennis pro.
Various fans of Sharapova on Twitter have tweeted their reaction to Sharapova’s withdrawal below.
While we're sad to see @MariaSharapova pull out of the Championships, but we wish her the best of luck while she strengthens her shoulder!
— Head Tennis (@head_tennis) October 7, 2013
@MariaSharapova Sad to hear you had the pull out of the year-end championship, but I'm happy your shoulder getting better. 2014 is yours.
— Christian Aug (@ItsMeCree_) October 8, 2013
Get well soon Maria! RT @espntennis: Maria Sharapova to miss season-ending WTA Championships with shoulder injury http://t.co/ItHLvyrEsr
— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) October 7, 2013
Maria Sharapova will not play the WTA Championships. Still recovering from her shoulder injury. Best wishes Masha!
— Maria Sharapova Fan (@SharapovAce) October 7, 2013
[Image source: Twitter (@MariaSharapova)]