Indian Wells, California  - After being out of tennis for more than half a year with a shoulder problem which required October surgery, Maria Sharapova is not ready to rush her tennis comeback.

The Russian, who last major title came at the Australian Open last year, gave her repaired and rehabilitated joint a workout on Thursday as she and Elena Vesnina went down in doubles at the Indian Wells Masters 6-1, 4-6, 10-7 (match tiebreak) to a Russian-Belarus pair.

Sharapova, her former number 1 ranking now down to 23rd, said that she felt fine, but will not be returning to the WTA until she can go up to a week of play without pain.

"I'm through making timetables," said the three-time Grand Slam winner. "Those days are over.

"The shoulder feels pretty good, but I wanted to try it out in match conditions. It may have been doubles, but you still feel it out there."

Sharapova is not yet ready to make a firm commitment to playing in Miami from March 25, saying she will have to see how she feels at the time.

"I need to get a week or two or two sets per day and still feel 100 percent. That's what I'm working up to and I won't be back in a tournament until I'm ready."

Sharapova has not competed since she tried a comeback last summer, getting as far as one round in Canada. She underwent surgery on October 15, and admitted she's a "doctor's nightmare."

"My biggest fear was that I'd not wake up from the anaesthesia," she confessed, adding that she keeps in text contact with her doctor.

The LA-based Russian said that while she missed tennis, she also learned to appreciate other facets of life during her time away.

"I'm so blessed to be playing tennis. The tour has done well for us in this time which is so tough on so many people. We have to be grateful to have the opportunity to do what we do."

Sharapova said that while she refused to watch the US Open last year in the depths of her despair, she reversed that strategy for the Australian, which she won in 2008.

"I had my control room with DirecTV or the Tennis Channel. I even woke up at 3 am to watch the Federer-Nadal final - and I never do that." (dpa)