MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. A left wrist injury and psychological unpreparedness forced Maria Sharapova to retire from Wimbledon, Shamil Tarpishchev, the president of the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF), told TASS over the phone on Tuesday.

Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova was defeated by French Pauline Parmentier in their first round match of the prestigious Wimbledon Championships. The third Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season is held on the grass courts of the All England Club in Wimbledon, London.

The 32-year old Russian retired down 4:6, 7:6 (7:4), 5:0 with an injury after two hours and 16 minutes of play. The 33-year old French is set to face No. 30 seed Spanish Carla Suarez Navarro.

Apart from a left wrist injury, Tarpishchev cited the lack of game psychology. "Lacking practice in tournaments has told on her nervous system," he explained. "She should have participated in three or four tournaments before Wimbledon" in order to hit her stride, he said.

Sharapova, who turned 32 this April, is Russia’s most decorated tennis player having won a total of five Grand Slam tournaments, namely the Australian Open in 2008, the French Open in 2012 and 2014, Wimbledon in 2004 and the US Open in 2006. She also clinched the silver in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and was the 2008 Federations Cup champion.

In 2018, Sharapova participated in 11 tennis tournaments, including four Grand Slam competitions. Her best results last season were the semifinals of the tournaments in China’s Shenzhen and Italy’s capital city, Rome.

The 2019 Wimbledon Championship is being held between July 1 and 14 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, and offers $49.4 million in prize money up for grabs.