Maria Sharapova's agent says the former No. 1 player is "on track" to return to Grand Slam tennis by defending her title at the Australian Open.

Sharapova has been sidelined since July because of an injured right shoulder.

The three-time Grand Slam title winner missed the Beijing Olympics and the U.S. Open in 2008, ending her streak of 23 consecutive major tournaments.

But agent Max Eisenbud (EYES-ehn-bud) tells The Associated Press on Tuesday that Sharapova expects to return to action in January at the exhibition event in Hong Kong she usually plays, followed by the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 19