Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova has reportedly pulled out of the upcoming US Open tournament due to a shoulder injury.
According to Stuff.co.nz, the four-times grand slam winner, who triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2006, had fired coach Jimmy Connors last week after just one match together.
Tournament director David Brewer stated that the third-seeded Russian star had notified them of her withdrawal from the tournament due to a right shoulder bursitis, adding that they wished her a speedy recovery.
The report further said that Sharapova was beaten by American teenager Sloane Stephens in the second round of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati last week.
Defending champion Serena Williams is the top seed for the US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York, ahead of Belarussia's Victoria Azarenka and Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, who now moves up to third, the report added.
