|
樓主 |
發表於 2005-1-9 17:28:26
|
顯示全部樓層
Henin-Hardenne out of Australian Open with knee injury
SYDNEY - Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne says she will not be
defending her Australian Open title this month after withdrawing from
the year's opening grand slam tennis tournament with a knee injury.
The former world No.1 missed most of 2004 with a virus, but had arrived
here with the intention of making her competitive comeback in the Sydney
International ahead of the Australian Open, starting in Melbourne on
January 17.
But Henin-Hardenne advised tournament director Paul McNamee Saturday
that she would not be taking her place in the Australian Open, leaving
the event without last year's two women's finalists.
Fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters officially withdrew on Friday because of a
wrist injury.
Henin-Hardenne will fly home on Sunday for rest after a scan revealed a
micro fracture of the right femural condyle bone.
The triple grand slam champion said she doesn't require surgery but
doctors have told her to rest for another four to six weeks, ruling her
out of the Australian Open.
She said that although she sustained the injury while practising in
Florida at Christmas she pressed ahead with her plans to warm up for the
Open at the Sydney International next week.
"I took rest, I did everything I could. I came here. I was confident but
then the rest didn't help and my pain is getting worse and worse," she said.
"To keep playing is not going to help me, so I have to take rest because
it's a serious injury but it could me more serious if I keep playing.
"I don't want to stay out of the circuit for another six months so I
have to be careful right now.
"I'll have to be smart. Making this decision is very hard to accept but
I have to take it and I'm sure it's the good one."
The 22-year-old Belgian was restricted to just nine tournaments in 2004
after being struck down with a debilitating illness that sapped her
energy and left her feeling lethargic.
After making a brilliant start to the year with victories in Sydney and
Dubai either side of her Australian Open triumph, Henin-Hardenne was
first sidelined for seven weeks with the virus.
She attempted a comeback at the French Open but was confined to bed
again for almost three months after crashing out in the second round as
the defending Roland Garros titleholder.
She did make a temporary comeback to win Olympic gold in Athens last
August, but was hit by the illness once again and withdrew from the WTA
circuit.
Japan's Ai Sugiyama was a chief beneficiary of Henin-Hardenne's
withdrawal, climbing to eighth seeding for the Sydney International
behind Lindsay Davenport, Anastasia Myskina, Elena Dementieva, Vera
Zvonareva, Nadia Petrova, Alicia Molik and Gold Coast winner Patty Schnyder.
The WTA and ATP tournament gets underway Sunday at Sydney's Olympic
tennis centre. |
|