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Injured Sharapova out of Olympic Games

01/08/2008

World number three Maria Sharapova has pulled out of the Olympic Games because of a shoulder injury.

The Russian came through a testing encounter against Marta Domachowska in the second round of the Rogers Cup earlier this week.

But after needing almost three hours to beat the unseeded Pole 7-5 5-7 6-2 Sharapova withdrew shortly after, complaining of soreness in her right shoulder joint.

Speaking after her victory over Domachowska, the Australian Open champion admitted she had been struggling with the problem since playing at Indian Wells in March.

And now it has emerged she will not recover in time to take part in Beijing, with the tournament due to kick off in just nine days' time.

"This is something that needs a lot of time to heal. It really hurts me to say I have to miss the Olympics," Sharapova told her official website.

"After Wednesday's match I knew there was something seriously wrong with my shoulder.

"After taking a few different exams and MRIs, the doctors found two small tears in the tendons of my shoulder.

"There are so many mixed feelings because on Wednesday night they were almost positive there was something wrong with my nerve, which could have ultimately been much more serious.

"But after Thursday morning's tests, for the first time in a while, they were able to give me a different answer and a different problem.

"The timing is so unfortunate and this makes me more sad than anything."