Sharapova cancels date

Rick Devereux

Maria Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon women’s singles champion, will

not play for the Newport Beach Breakers on her scheduled appearance

for Sunday. She has said the week following her Wimbledon win has

been exhausting and she needs to rest.

Sharpova will play Wednesday against the Sacramento Capitals.

“I want to make sure that I stay strong and play at my highest

level for the rest of the season and beyond,” Sharpova said in a

statement.

The World TeamTennis, which owns the Breakers, is working on

finding a star replacement for the Kansas City Explorers match. A

logical choice is fellow Russian and Kansas City star Anna

Kournikova, but she will not play despite being in Southern

California for the J.P. Morgan Chase tournament that begins July 19.

“Kournikova won’t play,” WTT chief executive officer Ilana Kloss

said. “We are looking into several possibilities and will know in the

next 24 hours.”

Sharapova was scheduled for two home dates for the Breakers.

“Of course we would love to have her for two nights,” Kloss said.

“But I think it is fantastic that she will be here for the match

[Wednesday] and it shows her loyalty to team tennis.”

Jim Haley, the Breakers’ general manager, made an announcement

during a break in the match against the New York Sportimes to let the

fans know of the situation and how anyone looking forward to seeing

the Wimbledon champion can still do so.

“We are disappointed for our fans and, of course, delighted for

the success of [Sharapova],” Haley said.

Those with tickets to Sunday’s match may exchange them for a

comparable ticket for Wednesday’s match.

If tickets are unavailable for that match, tickets may be

exchanged for the July 20 match against Sacramento featuring the

Bryan Brothers, Mike and Bryan.

For information, call the Breakers ticket office, (949) 916-6682.