Former world no.1 Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Italian Open as she continues to recover from a right shoulder injury she has been complaining of through 2018. The three-time champion will be replaced by the 45th-ranked Viktoria Kuzmova, Rome organisers announced on Wednesday.

Sharapova has been sidelined since pulling out of the St. Petersburg Open in Russia in January after winning the first-round match.