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“After an additional scan, the muscle tear that I sustained in Rome will unfortunately not allow me to compete in the grass court tournaments I was scheduled to play,” Sharapova, who is on a comeback trail after serving a 15-month doping ban, said on her official Facebook page. 

The Russian’s low ranking meant she was only guaranteed a place in the Wimbledon qualifying event. Missing the whole grasscourt season means the 30-year-old Russian will not be ranked high enough for direct entry into the U.S. Open, where officials will have to decide whether to court controversy by offering a wildcard.

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