Maria Sharapova Out of Olympics Beijing 2008

Maria Sharapova will sit out the U.S. Open because of a bad right shoulder, the first major championship she'll miss since her Grand Slam debut in 2003. The three-time Grand Slam title winner had already announced she's pulling out of the Beijing Olympics because of the injury. Sharapova said in a posting on her Web site Friday she probably won't need surgery and could be ready to play in two to three months. The Russian was examined by doctors after withdrawing from the Montreal Cup late on Wednesday evening with a sore shoulder following a 7-5 5-7 6-2 win over Poland's Marta Domachowska.

The Olympic tennis tournament begins Aug. 11, and the U.S. Open starts Aug. 25. Sharapova is 32-4 with three titles in 2008, and she briefly was ranked No. 1. The 21-year-old Russian has become one of tennis' biggest stars, with millions of dollars in endorsement deals.