Sharapova pulls out of Miami

The Sony Ericsson Open lost one of its major stars on Saturday morning when Maria Sharapova announced she is withdrawing from the Key Biscayne tournament because of fatigue.

Sharapova, who has dominated the tour since winning the Australian Open in January, had her 18-match win streak broken by Svetlana Kuznetsova Friday night in the Indian Wells semifinals, and Sharapova told reporters afterwards that she was considering taking a break and skipping the Sony Ericsson Open, which begins Wednesday. She advised tournament officials of her decision early Saturday morning.

"I've been playing a lot of tennis, flying a lot, and it's all been work since I took a week off after the championships,'' she said. "It's pretty much been nonstop from the season to all the tournaments I've been playing, and Fed Cup as well. It takes a toll on your body and your mind. You feel like you have to go out on the court and, you know, spend a lot of emotion and energy out there, and sometimes you just don't have it for every match.''

The Sony Ericsson Open is a mandatory event, and Sharapova faces a stiff fine for pulling out, but she said was ready to pay the consequences for her decision.

"I'm sure that there's a pretty big fine, but the body's more important than a fine,'' she said.

Sharapova explained that it's too early in the season for her to be feeling this tired.