MONTREAL - World number three Maria Sharapova pulled out of the Beijing Olympics on Thursday after an MRI scan on her right shoulder revealed two small tears.

Maria Sharapova of Russia has her shoulder examined during her match against Poland's Marta Domachowska at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal, July 30, 2008. [Agencies]

"I'm currently packing up really quick to hop on the plane and head to New York for a second opinion but I wanted to let all of you know first that there's no chance of me competing in Beijing," Sharapova said on her website.

"The timing is so unfortunate and this makes me more sad than anything," she added on www.mariasharapova.com. The Olympic Games are scheduled for August 8-24.

The Russian was examined by doctors after withdrawing from the Montreal Cup late on Wednesday evening with a sore shoulder following a 7-5 5-7 6-2 win over Poland's Marta Domachowska.

They advised Sharapova she would need a lot of time away from the game to let the injury to heal, which puts the 2006 U.S. Open champion's chances of playing in this year's final grand slam, starting on August 25 in New York, in doubt.

"After yesterday's match I knew there was something seriously wrong with my shoulder," said Sharapova.

"After taking a few different exams and MRIs this morning, the doctors found two small tears in the tendons of my shoulder.

MIXED FEELINGS

"There are so many mixed feelings because last night they were almost positive there was something wrong with my nerve, which could have ultimately been much more serious.