Virus forces Sharapova withdrawal from Dubai Championships
Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the WTA Dubai Championships after revealing she is suffering from a virus. The Russian star won the Qatar Open on Sunday as she continued her unbeaten start to 2008 but has admitted she would not be able to play five games in five days, which she would have to do if she reached the final.
Sharapova, ranked number five in the world, will now not be able to compete in a strong field that also includes the likes of world number one Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic - who she beat in the Australian Open Final last month - and Jelena Jankovic.
"Unfortunately I have been battling a virus for several days and it's reached a point where I'm unable to compete," Sharapova explained in a statement.
"I flew to Dubai right after my final in Doha and woke up on Monday feeling really fatigued and stuffed up with a cough. After trying to hit a little bit in the evening, I came to the conclusion that I'm realistically not going to be ready to play five matches in five days.
"It's been such a great and healthy start to the year, and I don't want to jeopardise that by making the wrong decisions, as I have in the past.
"This is really disappointing to me, but I do intend to come back to Dubai next year and hopefully have a great tournament."
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