Injured Maria Sharapova won't play at Wimbledon, U.S. Open status in doubt

Sharapova's withdrawal from the grass season means she'll need a wild card to play in the U.S. Open

Maria Sharapova won't be returning to Wimbledon after all. The Russian star's ambitious return to tennis since her much-publicized doping ban has been shelved as Sharapova heals from an injury she suffered at the Italian Open last month.

In a post on Facebook on Saturday, Sharapova, currently ranked No. 178 in the world, confirmed her injury would keep her out of the entire grass season. That means she won't be ranked high enough for a direct entry into the U.S. Open in late August. Sharapova hasn't played in a Grand Slam following her 15-month ban after testing positive for meldonium. The banned substance increases exercise capacity in athletes.

After an additional scan, the muscle tear that I sustained in Rome will unfortunately not allow me to compete in the...

Posted by Maria Sharapova on Saturday, June 10, 2017

"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," she wrote. "I want to thank the LTA (Lawn and Tennis Association) for their amazing support on my return and providing me with a Birmingham wild card, a tournament which I hope many of you will be able to attend."

Sharapova's return has led to protests from fellow players who argued she should not be granted wild-card status into tournaments. Canada's Eugenie Bouchard said that Sharapova was a cheater "who should be banned for life," setting up a juicy match when the two went head-to-head in the second round of May's Madrid Open. Bouchard toppled Sharapova 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, then said afterward that "a lot of players had privately wished me good luck."

While fellow players have been outspoken about Sharapova's drug ban and return, tournament organizers know that the five-time Grand Slam champion would help drive up ticket sales and TV ratings, especially for  the less prominent events on the women's tour.

The French Open denied Sharapova a wild-card entry because of her ban, announcing its decision before Sharapova pulled out of the Italian Open. She plans to return to action at a tournament in Stanford, California, in late July.