July 29, 2013 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the upcoming Rogers Cup, set for Aug. 3-11 at Rexall Centre on York University campus in Toronto, due to a hip injury suffered at Wimbledon. Sharapova’s best result at the Rogers Cup came in 2009, when she was a runner-up to fellow Russian Elena Dementieva. But reaching the final that year was a feat in itself as she was just a few months shy after coming back from a shoulder surgery layoff.
Sharapova sustained the injury during a second-round loss to Michelle Larcher de Brito at Wimbledon.
Sharapova tumbled several times during the Wimbledon match, complaining about court conditions, taking a medical timeout and later saying she thought she strained a hip muscle. She also withdrew from this week’s Bank of the West Classic at Stanford University.
"I’m extremely disappointed that I’m unable to play in Toronto next week as it’s one of the best and most important tournaments of the year," Sharapova said. "I was looking forward to making a healthy return to the courts in front of my Canadian fans, but unfortunately I’m just not recovered yet."
As a gesture to her Canadian fans who were excited to see her live at the Rogers Cup, Sharapova has offered to fly two lucky winners to Los Angeles during the off-season for a private hit with her followed by lunch. She has donated her time for this experience to also benefit Tennis Canada’s "Let’s Make Tennis Matter for Kids" campaign, as the prize will be auctioned off at Rogers Cup next week with all proceeds going to growing Kids Tennis participation across Canada.
