Sharapova and Keys withdraw from Birmingham Classic
Maria Sharapova will delay her start to the grass-court season and Madison Keys is being troubled by an abdominal injury.
Maria Sharapova and Madison Keys have withdrawn from the Birmingham Classic following their French Open exploits. Sharapova will delay the start of her grass-court season after reaching the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.
Sharapova disappointed to miss Birmingham event
The five-time grand slam champion said in a statement: "I have good memories of Birmingham so I'm disappointed not to be able to play this year, I need to take care of my body and make sure I stay healthy and sometimes that means you have to take tough decisions like this one. I wish everyone in Birmingham a great tournament."
Keys pulls out
Keys, beaten by close friend Sloane Stephens in the last four in Paris last week, withdrew due to an abdominal injury. The American said: "I am sorry to have to pull out of Birmingham this year. Everyone knows how much I love playing on grass and I was looking forward to starting my grass season there, but unfortunately I aggravated an injury I sustained in Rome and need to rest as much as I can right now. I look forward to returning to Birmingham next year and playing in front of its great fans."
Donna Vekic will now take her place in the draw for the WTA Premier tournament, which starts next week.