Former Wimbledon finalist Vera Zvonareva has pulled out of next month’s Australian Open with a shoulder injury. The 28-year-old Russian hardly got onto the court due to illness in 2012 and her start to the new year is set to be interrupted following Friday’s announcement. Zvonareva, who reached the SW19 final in 2010, has also pulled out of next week’s ASB Classic in Auckland after she had been handed a wildcard to the New Zealand tournament. The former world number two competed in just 10 tournaments last year, and pulled out of four, as her rankings slipped to 96. The Australian Open begins in Melbourne on January 14.
