Maria Sharapova in Bikini

The chronic shoulder injury that has kept Maria Sharapova on the sidelines since August has come back to haunt her again.  Last year’s Australian Open champion has been forced to withdraw from this year’s event.  Tournament Director Craig Tiley expressed disappointment but assured her fans and tournament supporters that Maria has worked hard and long on her rehabilitation but could not jeopardize her career by playing this year.

The Australian Open set record attendance numbers last year and anticipates throngs of fans again this year.  The loss of the popular 23 year old Russian beauty Sharapova will hurt the Women’s Draw, but plenty of proven and untested talent will be on hand for the year’s first Grand Slam event.

Tournament organizers have raised the prize pool by 12.3% and players are excited about the competition.  The tournament purse now exceeds 10.7 million pounds with the singles winner’s share equal to 927,000 pounds.

Last year’s triumph at the Open launched a nifty 18 match winning streak for Sharapova.  That streak moved her well up the ladder to the acknowledged number 1 ranking.  She held that position briefly in 2008 before injuries began to detract from her performance.  The second half of Maria’s tour season was bitterly disappointing and painful.

While her shoulder has rested, Sharapova has fallen well behind a competitive training schedule.  She hopes to be on track for the French Open but could not commit at this time.  Her legions of loyal fans cannot wait for her return and hopefully she will return to Melbourne in 2010.

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