Sharapova withdraws from Toronto tournament

Simona Halep will move up to the No. 2 seed, which Sharapova had occupied.

5-time Grand Slam victor Sharapova ended her run at Wimbledon last month in the semi-finals, bowing out after a loss to World No. 1 Serena Williams, who went on to win the Championships.

The 28-year-old Russian withdrew due to a right leg strain, the tournament organisers said on Friday. The Russian appears to have taken a break from competing, having not played a match since.

Home-town favourite Eugenie Bouchard will enter the 2015 Rogers Cup with a new coach but despite a strong field in Toronto, it will be hard to deny Serena Williams her fifth title of the year.

On even-numbered years, Montreal hosts the Rogers Cup.

Sharapova was hoping to get some valuable game time under her belt ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year at the US Open, which gets underway on August 31.