Maria Sharapova expects to return to the WTA Tour in six weeks and defend her Australian Open title after being sidelined since July 2008 with an injured right shoulder.

Maria’s agent, Max Eisenbud, said yesterday that Maria was on track for the January 7-10th exhibition tournament in Hong Kong. The three-time grand slam champion will then head to Australia for the January 19th-February 1st major.

Maria has not played competitively since withdrawing from the Montreal Open in late July after winning a three-hour match in which she double-faulted 17 times. Medical tests later found a torn rotator cuff tendon in the 21-year-old’s shoulder.

Maria missed the rest of the year, including the Beijing Olympics and the US Open, ending her streak of 23 consecutive major tournaments. She had not missed a major since her grand slam debut at the 2003 Australian Open.

Maria went 32-4 with three titles this year, earning nearly $3 million in prizemoney.