Vera Zvonareva falls out of the Australian Open line up – Tennis News
Former world number two, Vera Zvonareva, faces yet another setback before even making an attempt to return to the professional circuit. A shoulder injury has forced the Russian diva to pull out of the Australian Open and the Auckland
Classic campaigns for the next month. The 28-year-old veteran has suffered immense damage due to her chronic injuries during this year and it doesn’t seem anything going her way in the near future as well.
Zvonareva took off the 2012 WTA season as the world number 11 but persistent injuries and slump in form have pushed her to the 96th ranked in the women’s rankings. She merely played 20 matches in the entire 2012 circuit,
winning 11 of them and suffering defeats in nine. The Russian beauty was aiming to have an impactful beginning to the upcoming 2013 WTA season but she injured her shoulder during the practice session this week, eventually withdrawing from the season-opening
events.
The Russian was awarded a wildcard entry to the Auckland tournament and it was anticipated that she would post a solid performance to register her comeback. The tournament director, Karl Budge, was extremely disappointed on Zvonareva’s
withdrawal and believes that she will be missed by many tennis lovers. However, the inclusion of the two-time Auckland Classic champion, Eleni Daniilidou, has provided new hope to the tournament officials. The 100th Greek contender won the WTA titles
at this venue in 2003 and 2004, and will return to Auckland to redeem her vintage glory.
Zvonareva’s injury will also hamper her participation to the Grand Slam of Asia Pacific, the Australian Open. She had an average run at the coveted Melbourne Park this year, when she reached the third round of the mega event. She
outplayed Alexandra Dulgheru and Lucie Hradecka in the initial encounters before bowing out to the likes of her fellow left-hander compatriot, Ekaterina Makarova, in the round of 32. Zvonareva was aiming to register a better performance in the 2013 season
but it seems her bad patch will still continue for the next couple of months.
The Auckland Classic will begin from 31st of December 2012 and will be a crucial stop for the WTA players before the Australian Open mega event.
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