Sharapova promises to recover from injury by Australian Open

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Published time: January 01, 2013 15:38
Edited time: January 01, 2013 19:38

Maria Sharapova has pulled out of the Brisbane International tournament due to a collarbone injury, but said she will recover by the start of the Australian Open.

The number-two ranked world tennis star was set to play Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova in the second round, but inflammation had left her unable to serve properly.

“I started practicing once I got here but couldn’t serve much  actually at all until yesterday,” the tournament’s website quoted Sharapova as saying.

“Just a couple days of serving is not really enough to go out tomorrow and compete at a high level, which is unfortunate. I tried to give myself a chance, like I said, I just ran out of time a little bit,” she said.

Speaking on her odds at the Australian Open, the Russian stressed that there is “still quite a bit of time to prepare.”

"I'm on the right track, been training really well, so I just don't want to jeopardize what I've gained in the off-season so far,” she said.

Sharapova’s place in the tournament with a first-round bye has been given to Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko.