World number two Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Russian team for Fed Cup semi-final against the United States, which will take place this weekend in Vermont. The reason is her shoulder injury which has bothered her since April. World number four Svetlana Kuznetsova may also withdraw, since she has an injured shoulder too.

"Kuznetsova is a long shot. If her shoulder improves in the next couple of days then she'll play," said Russia Fed Cup captain Shamil Tarpishchev.

Sharapova will be replaced by world number 58 Elena Vesnina, and an alternate for Kuznetsova is world number 66 Alla Kudryavtseva (Reminder: Alla Kudryavtseva is that fantastic teenager who was so close to victory in her first round match at Wimbledon against the eventual champion Venus Williams)

Nadia Petrova and Anna Chakvetadze, ranked in the top 10 in the world, make up the rest of the Russian team.

As for the American team, it consists of Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Lisa Raymond and Vania King. (via Reuters)

Italy, the defending champion, hosts France in the Fed Cup semifinals on July 14 and 15.

I was listening to Severine Bremond’s interview in which she talks about her expectations for the Fed Cup and compares France’s first round tie in Japan to the upcoming one in Italy.

The Frenchwoman mentions that women in the French team get along very well and points out how their team consists of really good players. World No. 37 says that Italy will be a tough opponent, since France lost to Italy the last time they faced each other.

Bremond emphasizes how she loves playing for her country, and says that the team will give their best.

See also: Italy leave out Flavia Pennetta for Fed Cup, France omit Marion Bartoli

In the Fed Cup semi-final Italy and France will face each other at Castellaneta Marina on July 14 and 15 (surface: clay – outdoors).

Corrado Barazzutti, captain of the defending champions Italy, chose Tathiana Garbin, Mara Santangelo, Francesca Schiavone and Roberta Vinci for the team. There will be no Flavia Pennetta since she lost to Marion Bartoli in the first round of Wimbledon.

On the other hand, Marion Bartoli won’t represent France in the Fed Cup since the captain Georges Goven turned down her request to be accompanied by her father and coach. French team consists of Amelie Mauresmo (who lost her Wimbledon crown falling to Nicole Vaidisova on Tuesday), Tatiana Golovin, Nathalie Dechy and Severine Bremond.

BTW: The Italians have had a worse Wimbledon in the singles than the Frenchwomen, with Santangelo losing to Mauresmo in the third round while Vinci, Garbin and Schiavone were all dumped out in the second round. (source: Reuters)

World number six Ana Ivanovic announced on her official website that she will play in the Fed Cup against the Slovak Republic. Ana enjoys playing for her country; so far she missed only one tie, in April, due to a busy schedule.

The first Serbian Grand Slam finalist said that she’s very excited because she believes that together with Jelena Jankovic, ranked third in the world, their team can achieve some great results. “We want so much to reach the World Group,” said the 19-year-old Ivanovic.

Furthermore, Ana made the decision to play less doubles, so as to be able to focus more on singles. “Doubles is great fun, but it can cause problems for singles, especially when there is a rain delay, or you need extra recovery time.”

“The worst thing would be if I had to withdraw from the doubles competition during a Grand Slam, because I was tired and needed to rest for singles – I would feel very bad, letting down a partner like that. Actually I would play anyway out of obligation, and that would not be a good situation.”

Therefore, Ana decided it was best not to commit to anything; her doubles partner Maria Kirilenko believes that Ana made the right decision.

I listened to a short interview of Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic in which the rising tennis star talked about how she would love to represent her country together with Jelena Jankovic.

The 19-year-old Ivanovic thinks that Serbia has a very good Fed Cup team, and that they deserve a place in the World Group.

With united powers of these two great players, Serbia can certainly achieve a lot and become a real power in the Fed Cup.