Maria Sharapova Withdraws From WTA Championships

Maria Sharapova will not be playing at the WTA Championships this year.

Sharapova, who is currently ranked third in the world, withdrew from the tournament due to an injured right shoulder.

Fox Sports reports that Sharapova has missed several tournaments during the second half of the year. The tennis star pulled out of the US Open back in August and she hasn’t played since.

Fans were hoping that Sharapova would make a comeback for the final tournament of the year but the tennis star announced today that she would now be playing in the Instanbul tournament.

Sharapova said: “I am very disappointed that I will not be able to play in the WTA Championships this year. The fans in Istanbul have welcomed us each year with such intense passion and warmth. I will sincerely miss the energy and excitement they brought to the year-end tournament. I want to thank Istanbul for being a tremendous host and hope to play in Turkey sometime in the future.”

The WTA Championship features the top 8 singles players and the top four doubles teams. At the moment, Sera Errani, Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska, Li Na, and Petra Kvitova have all qualified for the singles. The Guardian reports that the one remaining spot will likely go Angelique Kerber.

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