Vera Zvonareva out of Australian Open with shoulder injury

Vera Zvonareva

Russian Vera Zvonareva will miss the Australian Open because of an injury to her right shoulder.

The 28-year-old missed two Grand Slams in 2012 - the French Open with the same injury and the US Open because of a viral illness.

"I will not be able to go to Australia this year," the two-time Grand Slam finalist wrote on her Facebook page.

"My body is not 100% recovered yet and I want to start when I know I can play the rest of the year."

Zvonareva, the former world number two, has dropped to 49th in the rankings after a frustrating year in which she was knocked out in the third round of the French Open and Wimbledon.

However, she won the Australian Open women's doubles with compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova in January, beating Italian duo Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in the final.

Zvonareva is yet to win a Grand Slam singles title, losing the US Open final to Kim Clijsters and the Wimbledon final to Serena Williams in 2010.

British pair Laura Robson and Heather Watson, meanwhile, will take part in the Hobart International in Tasmania as a warm-up to the Australian Open.

It will be Robson's first appearance at the event, while Watson will hope to improve on her first-round loss to Tsvetana Pironkova this year.

The tournament runs from 6-12 January and the Australian Open in Melbourne starts on 14 January.