Maria Sharapova’s 2019 season has ended. The Russian player has withdrawn on Thursday from the Luxembourg Open that takes place next week. The five-time Grand Slam champion had asked for a wild card invitation to the organizers, she announced her appearance through a video despite she was aware that she was not at her best physically.
Sharapova is back to hit serves a couple of weeks ago at the Piatti Tennis Center in the north of Italy with the Italian coach Riccardo Piatti on hard courts, but her shoulder injury has not been fully healed yet. Like in 2018, also this year Sharapova will have played her last match in the US Open losing to Serena Williams in a straight-set first round.
Angelique Kerber has withdrawn from Luxembourg too, due to a leg injury. The German will try to be back on Tour at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai. With Sharapova and Kerber’s withdrawals, the younger American players Catherine McNally and Coco Gauff are now in the main draw.
Like in Linz earlier this week, Sharapova will come to Luxembourg for a quick visit on Tuesday next week. At 5:00 PM she will hold a press conference, then she will have a meet and greet in the BGL BNP Paribas Village. At 7.15 PM, Sharapova will be at the Porsche Cocktail in the VIP area, on invitation only.
We will see if she will start her season in Shenzhen, China, like she did in the previous two years. Being healthy will be the priority for the 32-year-old next year.
