Sharapova to miss Aegon Classic in Birmingham

Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the AEGON Classic in Birmingham because of a muscle tear, she has announced on Facebook.

The Russian player is coming back from a 15-month suspension for taking the banned drug meldonium.

In a Facebook message she wrote: "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 had been granted a wild card for the tournament in Birmingham but will now withdraw.

In her statement she added: "I want to thank the LTA 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."

"I look forward to meeting you there next year. I will continue to work on myrecovery and my next scheduled tournament is in Stanford."

A number of fellow top players expressed disapproval at the opportunitiesgranted to Sharapova, with former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard branding her a "cheater" ahead of their recent Madrid Open showdown.