Sochi, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) – World No. 2 star Maria Sharapova
withdrew from Russia’s Fed Cup semifinal matchup against visiting Germany this
weekend because of a leg injury.
The tall Russian star, who will turn 28 on Sunday, last played at the Miami
Open three weeks ago when she was upset by fellow Russian Daria Gavrilova in
straight sets in the second round of the tournament.
The reigning French Open champion and Australian Open runner-up Sharapova
only recently returned to the court and is gradually increasing her workload,
according to a post on Facebook.
The former world No. 1 and career Grand Slam winner has only ever played six
Fed Cup singles matches, going 5-1 for Russia.
The Russians will battle the Germans at Adler Arena in Sharapova’s former
hometown of Sochi, which hosted the Olympic Winter Games last year.
Team Russia will feature world No. 25 Svetlana Kuznetsova and 38th-ranked
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, while Germany is expected to counter with Top-20
stars Andrea Petkovic, Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki.
