Aug 1, 2008, 21:29 GMT
New York - Maria Sharapova will miss her first Grand Slam since beginning her career in 2003, due to a shoulder injury which could keep the Russian away for three months.
'It hurts me so much to miss the Olympics and the US Open. I think this will be the first Grand Slam I have ever missed,' said the 21- year-old in a statement Friday.
The three-time Grand Slam champion announced earlier this week that she would have to forego her dream of playing in the Beijing Olympics due to the problem that has haunted her since 2007, but flared up again last March.
'The doctor does not believe that I need surgery and is sending me to work with a specialist in Arizona next week to do extensive rehab and strength work.'
'He believes that I should be ready to play in two to three months.'
Sharapova quit this week's WTA tournament in Montreal after a second-round win. The reigning Australian Open champion has played three matches since the French Open, where she was beaten in the fourth round.
She said doctors told her that she has been competing with a moderate tear in her rotator cuff tendon since April.
'You can imagine that I was not very thrilled to hear that my medical team did not see this tear in my shoulder back in April. The good news is that it didn't get much worse.
'But we could have started the healing time back then instead of now.'
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