Maria Sharapova’s long-time hitting partner, former Wimbledon semifinalist Vladimir Voltchkov, needs elbow surgery and will be unable to rejoin her team for the foreseeable future, TENNIS.com has learned.
The 35-year-old Voltchkov also hurt his ankle badly during the first week of the Australian Open. Dieter Kindlmann, who worked with Sharapova in Stuttgart last week where she successfully defended her title, will continue to hit with her.