Sharapova pulls out of Olympics

Updated 14.21 Fri Aug 01 2008

Keywords: Maria Sharapova, Beijing Olympics, Marta Domachowska

Maria Sharapova has pulled out of the Beijing Olympics after an MRI scan on her right shoulder revealed two small tears.

She said: "I'm currently packing up really quick to hop on the plane and head to New York for a second opinion but I wanted to let all of you know first that there's no chance of me competing in Beijing.

Sharapova said: "The timing is so unfortunate and this makes me more sad than anything"

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

The Russian was examined by doctors after withdrawing from the Montreal Cup with a sore shoulder following a 7-5 5-7 6-2 win over Poland's Marta Domachowska.

They advised Sharapova she would need a lot of time away from the game to let the injury heal, which puts the 2006 US Open champion's chances of playing in this year's final grand slam, in doubt.

She said: "After yesterday's match I knew there was something seriously wrong with my shoulder.

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

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

"But on the other hand this is something that needs a lot of time to heal, which really hurts me to say that I have to miss the Olympics."