Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams have decided to forego playing the Medibank International in Sydney, Australia prior to the 2008 Australian Open.
The former world number one duo will instead rely on the J B GROUP Classic exhibition in Hong Kong to prepare for the season’s first Grand Slam.
According to The Australian, tournament director Craig Watson has been notified that neither Maria nor Venus has plans to compete immediately before the start of the fortnight at Melbourne Park.
“We were trying hard to talk to Venus into coming, but she’s chosen not to play that week,” said Watson. “Maria doesn’t want to play the week before (Melbourne) either.”
The Medibank International has already confirmed the participation of Justine Henin, who will lead the main draw of twenty-eight singles players.
Not a big surprise. Sharapova, to my memory, has never played Sydney, and Venus plays seldomly. Saving their energy for Melbourne is what I’d expect from them, along with cashing in some bucks and getting some matches at the exhibition.
[...] Sharapova and Venus Williams have reorganized their schedules and decided to skip the Medibank International in [...]