Venus Williams And Maria Sharapova Are Both Finished For The Season

Former No. 1s Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova have both announced that their 2013 seasons are done. The 33-year-old who has been dealing with Sjogren’s Syndrome the last two years, has also been battling a bad back much of this year.

Last week in what would be her last match of the season she lost to Sabine Lisicki in the first round at Beijing. And according to a Fox Sports ticker over the weekend, she has decided to end her season early.

Sharapova’s news is not as big of a surprise. The Russian withdrew from the US Open because of a shoulder issue and there was little hope of a return this year.

After a month of rehab she confirmed today that she would not be able to play in the upcoming WTA Finals in Istanbul in three weeks.

“I am very disappointed that I will not be able to play in the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships this year,” Sharapova wrote on her website. “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 want to thank Istanbul for being a tremendous host and hope to play in Turkey sometime in the future.”