Story ProgressBack to home
Sharapova hopes to be fit for Australian Open
Maria Sharapova says she hopes to be fit to defend her title at the Australian Open, despite pulling out of an exhibition event in Hong Kong next month.
- Agence France-Presse
- Updated: December 31, 2008 02:12 PM IST
Read Time: 2 min
Los Angeles:
In a statement posted on her website, Sharapova said she regretted pulling out of the JB Group Classic team tennis tournament, scheduled for January 7-10 in Hong Kong.
"It's with much disappointment that I have to withdraw from Hong Kong. I've been using this event for the last five years to get match fit and ready for the new season, in fact Hong Kong has been successful in preparing me for the Australian Open," she said.
Sharapova launched her 2008 season in style with a triumph at the Australian Open.
But the 21-year-old was hindered by a right shoulder injury much of the year. She skipped the Beijing Olympics, the US Open before having arthroscopic surgery in October.
"I'm just not ready to play against the top class competition in Hong Kong, although I remain hopeful for Australia where I'm the defending champion," she said.
The Australian Open, first Grand Slam of the season, starts in Melbourne on January 19.
"Believe me, it's been a very difficult decision, but I only started practicing 16 days ago," she said.
The Hong Kong event has a new format this year, featuring four teams - Europe, Russia, Team Americas and Asia Pacific.
Top players slated to appear include world number one Jelena Jankovic and Wimbledon champion Venus Williams.
Maria Sharapova says she hopes to be fit to defend her title at the Australian Open in January, despite pulling out of an exhibition event in Hong Kong next month.In a statement posted on her website, Sharapova said she regretted pulling out of the JB Group Classic team tennis tournament, scheduled for January 7-10 in Hong Kong.
"It's with much disappointment that I have to withdraw from Hong Kong. I've been using this event for the last five years to get match fit and ready for the new season, in fact Hong Kong has been successful in preparing me for the Australian Open," she said.
Sharapova launched her 2008 season in style with a triumph at the Australian Open.
But the 21-year-old was hindered by a right shoulder injury much of the year. She skipped the Beijing Olympics, the US Open before having arthroscopic surgery in October.
"I'm just not ready to play against the top class competition in Hong Kong, although I remain hopeful for Australia where I'm the defending champion," she said.
The Australian Open, first Grand Slam of the season, starts in Melbourne on January 19.
"Believe me, it's been a very difficult decision, but I only started practicing 16 days ago," she said.
The Hong Kong event has a new format this year, featuring four teams - Europe, Russia, Team Americas and Asia Pacific.
Top players slated to appear include world number one Jelena Jankovic and Wimbledon champion Venus Williams.
Topics mentioned in this article
Tennis
Andy Roddick
Lukas Dlouhy
Rohan Bopanna
Leander Paes
Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi
Maria Sharapova
Get the Latest IPL 2024 Updates, check out IPL 2024 schedules and IPL points table at NDTV Sports.Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more sports updates. You can also download the NDTV Cricket app for Android or iOS.