Maria Sharapova won’t play for Orange County Breakers but World Team Tennis team plans to keep playing
The Orange County Breakers announced Wednesday that they lost Maria Sharapova as a franchise player.
As for the Breakers’ World Team Tennis season this summer, it hasn’t been lost because of the coronavirus.
The Newport Beach-based team plans to have its opener on July 12 against the San Diego Aviators at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, said Breakers general manager Allen Hardison.
“We are closely monitoring the [coronavirus] situation,” Hardison said in a text message, “but as of right now, we still plan on playing as scheduled.”
The Breakers’ home opener is set for July 13 at Palisades Tennis Club. The team almost had to find another venue to play its home matches because of a land-lease agreement issue, which was resolved last week.
The Palisades Tennis Club, which operates under two separate ground leases, was in the process of moving out of its longtime headquarters on Jamboree Road when a landlord who at first was not going to extend one of the leases signed the club to a new 10-year agreement.
The rest of the eight teams in the WTT also plan to start the season on July 12, Carlos Silva, the league’s CEO, said on Twitter. The three-week league is scheduled to end on Aug. 1.
“We continue to monitor the #COVID19 situation and will post an update on Apr. 6,” Silva tweeted. “Please stay safe & members of the #WTTFamily should not hesitate to reach out to me directly with questions or concerns.”
The Breakers have signed Grigor Dimitrov as their franchise player. Dimitrov, a former No. 3 and the 2017 ATP Finals champion, is replacing Sharapova as Orange County’s marquee player. The Bulgarian will make his debut with the Breakers on July 28 at Palisades Tennis Club.
Hardison said Sharapova’s decision to not play her scheduled matches for the Breakers on July 28-29 were not due to concerns over the coronavirus. Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion and a former No. 1, retired from professional tennis in February.
“Strictly tennis related,” Hardison said. “The message we got from her team is that for now, and potentially long-term, she will no longer be playing tennis in the public eye.”
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Updates
12:10 p.m. March 19, 2020: The article was updated with information on the Orange County Breakers signing Grigor Dimitrov as their franchise player.
This article was originally published on March 18 at 3:09 p.m.
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