Maria Sharapova’s 2015 season came to a hiatus when she suffered a leg injury at Wimbledon and was forced to miss the summer hardcourt season, and the US Open for the second time in three years. Her injury-plagued season continued when she experienced pain in her left forearm in her match against Barbora Strycova in Wuhan.
“I got pain in my left forearm. It just got worse and worse as I continued,” said Sharapova.
Due to the pain, the Russian megastar was forced to run around her backhand and hit forehands, “I just don’t think it’s smart to continue trying to run around the court and trying to hit forehands from the backhand side and compensate other things.”
The five-time Grand Slam champion had taken a wildcard into the tournament, hoping to get some match play before defending her title in Beijing. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, it seems as though she will be unable to do so. She has already qualified for the WTA Championships in Singapore, and must play in Russia’s Fed Cup final against the Czech Republic in order to qualify for next year’s Olympics in Rio.
“Singapore and the Fed Cup are a big priority. I’ll do everything in order to be healthy for that,” said the Russian.
“I don’t know how long it will take for this to recover so I can’t really give a definite answer about next week.”
It was a rare retirement for Sharapova, one of the most professional players on the tour. The five-time Grand Slam champion only stops play mid-match when there is a legitimate concern for a serious injury.
It appears that Sharapova will be unable to end the season the way she started it. She got off 2015 to a lethal start, winning in Brisbane and reaching the finals of the Australian Open. Unfortunately, the post-Wimbledon season has not favored the Russian in recent years, as she suffered a shoulder injury in 2013 as well.