Moscow, Aug 22 (IANS): Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the US Open due to a shoulder injury.
"Maria has informed us that she will be unable to compete at the US Open due to a right shoulder bursitis and has withdrawn from the tournament. We wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to her return to New York next year," tournament director David Brewer said Thursday, reports Xinhua.
Sharapova's agent Max Eisenbud said that her shoulder has been bothering her for more than three months, even before the French Open in May.
The US Open will kick off in New York from Aug 27 till Sep 9. Sharapova's withdrawal results in Agnieszka Radwanska becoming the No.3 seed in women's singles. The withdrawal means Sharapova will not need to change her last name into 'Sugarpova' temporarily to promote her candy brand in the upcoming two weeks in the United States.
The 26-year-old had applied to the Supreme Court of Florida for the name change to draw more attention to her sweets line.