August 02, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 29, 1429

SINGAPORE, Aug 1: A despondent Maria Sharapova pulled out of the Beijing Olympics on Friday due to a shoulder injury, depriving the Games of one of its biggest stars.

The glamorous Russian withdrew from the WTA Rogers Cup in Montreal on Wednesday after a marathon second-round win over Marta Domachowska, and a scan revealed two small tears in her right shoulder.

“I’m currently packing up real quick to hop on a plane to New York for a second opinion but I wanted to let you all know first that there is no chance of me competing in Beijing,” she said on her official website.

“The timing is so unfortunate and this makes me more sad than anything.”

Her match against Domachowska was her first since the world number three’s disappointing performance at Wimbledon.

“After Wednesday’s match I knew there was something seriously wrong with my shoulder,” she added on the website.

“After taking a few different exams and MRI’s, the doctors found two small tears in the tendons of my shoulder.

“There are so many mixed feelings because on Wednesday night they were almost positive there was something wrong with my nerve, which could have ultimately been much more serious.

“But after Thursday morning’s tests, for the first time in a while, they were able to give me a different answer and a different problem.”

“This is something that needs a lot of time to heal. It really hurts me to say I have to miss the Olympics,” she said.—AFP