Tennis Canada announced today that world No. 2 Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Toronto due to a continued hip injury suffered at Wimbledon.
“I’m extremely disappointed that I am unable to play in Toronto next week as it’s one of the best and most important tournaments of the year,” said Sharapova. “I was looking forward to making a healthy return to the courts in front of my Canadian fans but unfortunately I’m just not recovered yet.”
Sharapova, a 2009 Rogers Cup finalist, has not played since a second-round loss to Michelle Larcher de Brito at Wimbledon at the end of June.
As a gesture to her Canadian fans who were excited to see her live at Rogers Cup, Sharapova has offered to fly two lucky winners to Los Angeles during the off-season for a private hit with her followed by lunch. She has donated her time for this money-can’t-buy experience to also benefit Tennis Canada’s “Let’s Make Tennis Matter for Kids” campaign as the prize will be auctioned off during Rogers Cup next week with all proceeds going to growing Kids Tennis participation across Canada.
"Maria is one of the fan favourites here in Toronto and we are certainly going to miss her at Rogers Cup this year," said Rogers Cup tournament director Karl Hale. “We are very appreciative of her generosity in donating her time for us to raise some money for Kids Tennis and we wish her a speedy recovery and successful return to the Tour as soon as possible.”
Sharapova will still travel to Toronto this week to make a fan appearance she’s committed to on Thursday evening at Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Rogers Cup presented by National Bank will take place August 3-11, 2013 at Rexall Centre on York University campus in Toronto and from August 2-11, 2013 at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.rogerscup.com.
About Rogers Cup presented by National Bank
Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is a Tennis Canada owned and operated world-class tournament celebrating its 133nd anniversary of the men’s event from August 2-11, 2013 at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal and its 121st anniversary of the women’s event from August 3-11, 2013 at Rexall Centre in Toronto. As an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, Premier WTA tournament and Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series event, Rogers Cup presented by National Bank will showcase the world’s best players. Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is the third-oldest title in tennis, behind only Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. For more information and tickets visit www.rogerscup.com.