
Maria Sharapova’s first test of her surgically repaired right shoulder proved brief as the Russian lost a doubles match this morning in her first competitive outing since August.
Sharapova, the former world No.1 and 2008 Australian Open champion, was hindered by a right shoulder injury much of last season and skipped the Beijing Olympics and the US Open before having arthroscopic surgery in October.
She was upbeat despite her abrupt dismissal from the $US4.5 million ($A6.88 million) Masters tournament, as she and partner Elena Vesnina were beaten 6-1 4-6 10-7 by Ekaterina Makarova and Tatiana Poutchek in a first-round match that went to a super-tiebreak after they split the first two sets.
“I’m blessed I can have the opportunity to be here again,” she said of her newfound appreciation for her career.















