Moscow  - Former world number one Maria Sharapova remains sidelined in the wake of shoulder surgery last year, the Sport Express paper said on Wednesday.

The report said that the Russian tennis player has cancelled her appearance at next week's indoor tournament in Paris and will also miss the following week's event in Dubai.

Sharapova, 23, has not played since early August 2008, missing among other events the Beijing Olympics, US Open and the 2009 Australian Open where she was the title holder. She has subsequently dropped out of the top 10 to a current number 17 ranking. (dpa)