Injury forces Sharapova to pull out of Wimbledon

Maria Sharapova has withdrawnfromwimbledonqualifying due to a muscle injury she sustained at the Italian Open in Rome last month.

Sharapova, who is coming back from a 15-month suspension for taking the banned drug meldonium, had been due to enter qualifying after rejecting a wild card.

But she posted in a Facebook message: “After an additional scan, the muscle tear that I sustained in Rome will unfortunately not allow me to compete in the grass court tournaments I was scheduled to play.” The news means Sharapova will also withdraw from the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, for which she had been granted a wild card.

In her statement she added: “I want to thank the LTA for their amazing support on my return and providing me with a Birmingham wild card, a tournament which I hope many of you will be able to attend.

“I look forward to meeting you there next year. I will continue to work on my recovery and my next scheduled tournament is in Stanford.”

Sharapova was denied a wild card for this month’s French Open and took a potentially divisive decision by the All England Club out of their hands by announcing she would go through qualifying.

News of her withdrawal will end a potential logistical nightmare for organisers of the usually low-key qualifying event given the interest in her comeback.

Sharapova reached the semifinals on her comeback at the Porsche Open in Stuttgart in May but it left the women’s tour divided.

A number of fellow top players expressed disapproval at the opportunities granted to Sharapova, with former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard branding her a “cheater” ahead of their recent Madrid Open showdown.

Her absence from the grass courts means it is no longer possible for her to qualify automatically for the main draw of the US Open in August.

As a result, she will have to rely on a wild card or go through the qualifying rounds.