A muscle strain that third-seeded Maria Sharapova aggravated before she traveled for her first hardcourt event forced the tennis star to withdraw on Sunday from the U.S. Open.
She initially injured her leg while training for the hardcourt swing, reports The New York Times. The U.S. Open would have been her first tournament since she lost in July to Serena Williams at the semifinals of Wimbledon. Sharapova also withdrew from tennis tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati because of the injury.
She explained at the pre-tournament news conference on Saturday in Flushing Meadows, "You don't always know where some things come from, but sometimes you have to make adjustments to be healthy and ready for the big ones ... I've had to make adjustments throughout the year, and it only gets tougher as you get older, of course."
Sharapova was expected to upset during the first round her first opponent schedule for Monday evening at the Louis Armstrong Stadium. She was supposed to play against 21-year-old Russian-Australian player Daria Gavrilova who is ranked 38th. Gavrilova, however, beat Sharapova in Miami this year.
Even if 28-year-old Sharapova did not withdraw from the U.S. Open, Williams is expected to win the tournament since she has been leading 18-2 in their last 17 matches. Sharapova beat Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final and 2004 WTA championships.
USA Today observes that despite being a five-time Grand Slam champion, Sharapova "looks like a nervous college player playing her first conference match."
If Williams wins the U.S. Open, she would be the first player in 27 years to win the Grand Slam. But Sharapova remains Williams's strongest competitor, tennis observers said.
Sharapova acknowledges that Williams has been "playing on an incredible level ... We have to step up, me and everyone else. Her level makes us want to be at a better level."