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Davenport pulls out Third-seeded American will not play at Roland Garros
Updated: Sunday May 27, 2001 1:43 PM
PARIS (AP) -- Lindsay Davenport joined three other top players on the sideline Sunday at the French Open before the tournament even started. Davenport, who hasn't played a match since March, withdrew on the eve of the event after aggravating a bone bruise in her right knee during practice. Sidelined earlier because of injuries were three-time champion Monica Seles, defending champion Mary Pierce and Anna Kournikova. Davenport was seeded third in the French, the only Grand Slam tournament she hasn't won. "I arrived in Paris on Wednesday and I have been practicing very hard," she said in a statement. "Everything was going well until my practice this morning, when the pain returned unexpectedly. "I really thought that my knee was ready, and that I was going to be able to play. Unfortunately that's not the case, and I decided to follow the advice of the medical staff not to play." Because of Davenport's departure, three seeded players -- No. 5 Amelie Mauresmo, No. 9 Nathalie Tauziat and No. 13 Magdalena Maleeva -- were given revised places in the draw, changing their first-round opponents. German Anca Barna made the tournament despite losing in qualifying, and Sandrine Testud was given a No. 17 seeding. Davenport's withdrawal ends her streak of 34 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments dating back to Wimbledon in 1992. But during the past year the 24-year-old Californian has been plagued by injuries, including a lower back strain and a broken left foot. In 2000 she missed the Olympics and lost in the first round at the French Open, when she was hobbled by back spasms. Davenport bruised her right knee at Key Biscayne, Florida, in March and has not played since. "I am going back to the States now to see my specialist and hope to be fully fit for Wimbledon" in late June, she said. Seles withdrew Friday because of a foot injury that has forced her to miss two months of play. Pierce, who has won only six matches in an injury-filled year, pulled out Wednesday because of a back injury. Kournikova has been sidelined by a foot injury since February. Serena Williams hasn't played since March because of a knee injury but expects to return for the French Open, where she's seeded sixth.
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