Four-time grand slam winner Maria Sharapova will miss the year-end WTA Championships in Istanbul with the shoulder injury that has kept her from the courts since mid-August.
The Russian has played only one match since losing in the Wimbledon second round due to her shoulder problem.
"I'm very disappointed that I will not be able to play the WTA Championships this year," Sharapova said in a statement on Monday as the event enters its final edition in Istanbul before moving to Singapore.
"The fans in Istanbul have welcomed us each year with such intense passion and warmth. I will sincerely miss the energy and excitement they brought to the year-end tournament. I hope to play in Turkey sometime in the future."
With her absence, there remains one spot to play for in the eight-woman field after the qualifications of Italian Sara Errani, 2011 year-end winner Petra Kvitova and Serb Jelena Jankovic, who lost in the final of the China Open at the weekend in Beijing to Serena Williams.
The event will be held October 22-27, 2013. Making up the rest of the field: Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska and China's Li Na.
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