ROME — Three-time champion Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the upcoming Italian Open as she continues to recover from a right shoulder injury.
Rome organizers announced Wednesday that Sharapova’s spot in the draw for the May 13-19 tournament will be taken by 45th-ranked Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia.
Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion, hasn’t played since pulling out of a tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia, in late January after winning her first-round match. She won three matches at the Australian Open and is ranked 28th.
Sharapova said in February that she had undergone a “small procedure” on her right shoulder that would need a few weeks to heal.