Tennis: Former world number one Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from this month’s Qatar Open due to a persistent arm injury, the Russian said yesterday in a statement from tournament organisers. The five-times grand slam champion has been troubled by her left forearm since the start of the year when she pulled out of an Australian Open warm-up tournament in Brisbane. She was also unable to play for Russia in last week’s Fed Cup quarter-final defeat by the Netherlands.

Golf: Valderrama will stage the Spanish Open for the first time in April, with the Sergio Garcia Foundation as official host of the event at the course in Soto-grande, southern Spain, the European Tour announced yesterday. The venue that in 1997 became the first course in mainland Europe to stage the Ryder Cup, will host the opening tournament of the European season from April 14-17, a week after the US Masters at Augusta, with two million euros of prize-money on offer. Garcia, who has won 11 times on the European Tour and has been in five victorious Ryder Cup teams, set up his foundation in 2002.

Basket, NBA: A bad week for Memphis Grizzlies got worse yesterday with the news that All-Star centre Marc Gasol will be out “indefinitely” with a broken right foot. It will be a blow to the Spanish national team as well six months before the Olympic Games. The Grizzlies released a statement that Gasol’s “MRI revealed a fracture in his right foot”. The team did not say exactly how and when the injury occurred. Gasol has averaged 16.6 points and seven rebounds in 52 games for Memphis this season. The Spanish team is expected to be one of the strongest challengers to vie for the gold medal with the United States at the Rio Olympics.