Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova has reportedly withdrawn from the season-ending Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Championships in Istanbul on Monday due to an injury on her right shoulder which has nagged her since before the US Open.
The world number three, who had to withdraw from the US Open because of the injury and a previous hip problem, has played just one match since a second round exit at Wimbledon in June.
Confirming her withdrawal, Sharapova said that she would miss the energy, passion, warmth and excitement which the fans in Istanbul bring to the year-end tournament, adding that she is hoping to play in Turkey sometime in the future, Sport24 reports.
Meanwhile, the WTA announced that Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova, Italy's Sara Errani and Serbian player Jelena Jankovic will join the already qualified Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska and Chinese star Li Na in the season-end tournament, which will take place from October 22-27.
The WTA Championships, which features the top eight singles players and the top four doubles pairings competing for a record six million dollars in prize money, is being hosted in Istanbul for a third successive year, the report added.
