Sharapova pulls out of US Open

NEW YORK — Maria Sharapova has been all over the tennis bulletin boards in the last few days, what with her abrupt dismissal of coach Jimmy Connors — whose tenure lasted all of one match — followed by an abortive plan to change her name to Sugarpova as a way of promoting her line of sweets.

But Sharapova’s time in the spotlight may be over for a while, as she announced on Wednesday night that she would not be participating in next week’s US Open due to a shoulder injury. This is one story she cannot sugarcoat.

Despite the off-court circus surrounding her attempts to change her name, the 2006 champion continued preparing for the tournament, practising as recently as Wednesday afternoon in the Louis Armstrong Stadium with Yuri Sharapov, her father and interim coach, looking on.

But some seven hours later, her withdrawal was announced.

According to her agent, Max Eisenbud, she has been suffering from pain in her shoulder since before the French Open, and it is understood that she has had injections to try to resolve the problem.

Sharapova, 26, first suffered from problems in her right shoulder five years ago and had surgery to repair two tears in her rotator cuff in October 2008.

When she returned to the tour 10 months later, she struggled with inconsistent serving before steadily gaining back her previous form and No 1 ranking, completing her career Grand Slam by winning the French Open last year.

However, the fact that the pain is in her serving shoulder will only heighten concerns about her career from here on.

Sharapova had already pulled out of two recent tournaments in Toronto and Stanford as a precaution.

She had also lost both her most recent matches — a shock exit in the second round of Wimbledon against world No 131 Michelle Larcher De Brito and against Sloane Stephens in Cincinnati a week ago.

Still, few had guessed how badly she was struggling. Now they know.

The Russian said on Facebook: “I just wanted to let you know that withdrawing from the US Open has been a really tough decision to make.

“I have done everything I could since Wimbledon to get myself ready, but it just wasn’t enough time.

“I have done many tests, received several opinions and it all comes down to taking the proper amount of time to heal my shoulder injury properly.

“It’s certainly not an easy decision to make ahead of one of my favourite tournaments, but I know it’s the right one that will get me back on the courts soon.

“I plan on taking the next few weeks off, receiving proper treatment and rehabilitation.”

Even though third seed Sharapova was seen as a less likely bet for the title than either of the women ranked above her — Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka — her withdrawal will be a major blow for a women’s draw that has already lost the last grand slam champion, Marion Bartoli, who announced her retirement last Wednesday.

After all, despite the criticism that her fortissimo grunting often attracts, she is still the most popular player on the women’s circuit, as well as the highest paid.

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