Criticism rains on Maria over Fed Cup pull-out

Russian tennis officials have again accused Maria Sharapova of putting her own interests ahead of her country after she pulled out of the team for this weekend8217;s Fed Cup semi-final against the United States.

Russian tennis officials have again accused Maria Sharapova of putting her own interests ahead of her country after she pulled out of the team for this weekend8217;s Fed Cup semi-final against the United States.

The world No 2 was included after initially agreeing to make her Fed Cup debut for Russia in the July 14-15 tie in Vermont before saying she was not match-fit. 8220;She said she is injured, so she will not play,8221; said Russia captain Shamil Tarpishchev. Sharapova, who was soundly beaten by eventual champion Venus Williams in the fourth round at Wimbledon last week, has been suffering with a persistent shoulder injury since April.

8220;I8217;m telling you, just forget about all these promises,8221; Russia8217;s chief tennis coach Vladimir Kamelzon was quoted as saying by the influential daily Izvestia on Tuesday. Kamelzon accused Sharapova8217;s entourage of discouraging the Florida-based Russian from playing for her native country. 8220;Her closest advisers are Americans and they would never allow her to play for Russia,8221; he said.

Local media also questioned Sharapova8217;s Fed Cup commitment even before her pullout. 8220;Well, she never intended to play in the first place,8221; said former national champion Anna Dmitrieva, who now works as a senior commentator for NTV television. 8220;All she wanted was to be included in the Fed Cup team so she would be eligible to play at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.8221;

Sharapova had been scheduled to make her long-awaited Fed Cup debut against Spain in Moscow in April but pulled out on the eve of the first-round tie with a similar injury.

She gave additional ammunition to her critics by choosing to attend an awards presentation in Hollywood this week.