Image courtesy of the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open
Maria Sharapova is in no rush to return to the tennis courts after re-injuring her shoulder at Indian Wells.
The 2008 Australian Open champion learned her lesson last season and this time she is willing to take as long a break as necessary to recover.
Sharapova tweaked her right shoulder last week at the Pacific Life Open, prompting her to withdraw from the mandatory Sony Ericsson Open.
However, because of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s rules, Sharapova is still required to participate in Tour and sponsor events in Miami.
She gave a press conference on Wednesday and revealed that she has no plans to return to the Tour until she is certain that her shoulder has completely healed, especially now that her game is on the upswing.
“The main goal now is to get that rest and recovery – no matter how long that is,” said Sharapova in comments published by DPA.
Depending on how quickly she recovers, Sharapova may ask for a wild card entry into the Bausch & Lomb Championships or the Family Circle Cup.
“My goal after the rest is to get onto the clay courts and start training and do all the right things . . . I’m not sure which tournaments I will play yet. It’s going to come down to the recovery process.”
Sharapova spent most of the 2007 season dealing with a shoulder injury before she finally turned around her disappointing year with a finalist finish at the season-ending Championships.
