LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Maria Sharapova, her hopes of Olympic gold dashed by a shoulder injury that prompted her withdrawal from the Beijing Games, said Friday she would also miss the US Open.

The glamorous Russian announced on her website that she wouldn't play the final Grand Slam of the season, which starts August 25 in New York.

The news came a day after she pulled out of the Olympics.

"It hurts me so much to miss the Olympics and the US Open, you have no idea, just to type those words hurt!," she wrote. "I think this will be the first Grand Slam I have ever missed."

According to Sharapova, New York doctor David Altchek said she had been playing with a tear in her right rotator cuff since April.

Originally, Sharapova said an MRI exam had revealed torn tendons in the shoulder, but she opted to get a second opinion from Altchek.

Sharapova is not expected to require surgery. She will travel to Arizona for rehabilitation and strength work and is likely to miss two to three months.

"Now I need to move forward and stay positive," she said. "I am going to work hard to get healthy."

Sharapova, 21, beat Marta Domachowska of Poland 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, in a second-round match at the WTA event in Montreal on Wednesday before withdrawing with the injury.

She had battled other ailments already this year, pulling out of her scheduled Italian Open semi-final in May against Jelena Jankovic because of a calf strain.

Sharapova joined a growing list of Beijing casualties, including former world number one and Athens Olympic silver medallist Amelie Mauresmo and fellow French star Mary Pierce.

While many other top names remain in the draw, Sharapova's exit will be a big blow for Olympic organisers.

The pin-up attracts huge media interest and her name recognition is so powerful that an internet search brings up over seven million results.

She is also a global brand off court, raking in an estimated 25 million dollars from endorsement deals so far.