Injured Sharapova withdraws from Olympics

World number three Maria Sharapova pulled out of the Beijing Olympics on Thursday after an MRI scan on her right shoulder revealed two small tears.
"I'm currently packing up really quick to hop on the plane and head to New York for a second opinion but I wanted to let all of you know first that there's no chance of me competing in Beijing," Sharapova said on her website.
"The timing is so unfortunate and this makes me much sadder than anything," she added on www.mariasharapova.com.
The Russian was examined by doctors after withdrawing from the Montreal Cup late on Wednesday evening with a sore shoulder following a 7-5 5-7 6-2 win over Poland's Marta Domachowska.
They advised Sharapova she would need a lot of time away from the game to let the injury to heal, which puts the 2006 US Open champion's chances of playing in this year's final grand slam, starting on August 25 in New York, in doubt.
"After yesterday's match I knew there was something seriously wrong with my shoulder," said Sharapova.
"After taking a few different exams and MRIs this morning, the doctors found two small tears in the tendons of my shoulder.
"There are so many mixed feelings because last night they were almost positive there was something wrong with my nerve, which could have ultimately been much more serious.
"But after the tests this morning, for the first time in a while, they were able to give me a different answer and a different problem.
"But on the other hand this is something that needs a lot of time to heal, which really hurts me to say that I have to miss the Olympics."
Playing her first match since a shock second-round defeat by compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva at Wimbledon in June, Sharapova twice received treatment on her shoulder during her three-hour battle with Domachowska in Montreal on Wednesday.