|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Painful year Agassi expected to remain in England for back treatments
Posted: Friday June 16, 2000 10:47 AM
LONDON (AP) -- Andre Agassi's year, which began with a Grand Slam title in Australia, is in a downswing. A blister led to his early elimination in the French Open, and now his status for Wimbledon is shaky after he injured his back in a fall Thursday. The top-seeded Agassi was forced to withdraw from the Queen's tournament. Wimbledon begins June 26. Leading 6-4, 2-3, Agassi slipped and fell while hitting a running forehand winner in his third-round match against Italy's Gianluca Pozzi. After playing another game, Agassi took a three minute injury timeout as tournament trainer Doug Spreen rubbed his lower back and stretched his left leg. Limping visibly, Agassi lost the next game, walked off the court and broke his racket by slamming it against his right foot. He felt a "significant sharp pain" when he fell and decided not to risk further damage. "He's going to be sore for a couple of days, but there doesn't appear to be any real damage," Spreen said of what he termed a bruised lower back and spasms. "In two or three days, it'll probably be feeling a lot better. "I would expect him to be fully fit for Wimbledon. That's our outlook now. There'll be no reason for him to even think about hitting balls tomorrow or probably the next day. You just go on a day-to-day basis." Agassi plans to remain in England. "I'm in Doug's hands," he said. "I'll be treated with a high dosage of ice and some manipulation. "For me to be fit for Wimbledon, from a health standpoint, I'm going to address it here. While this is not ideal, at some stage you've got to play your highest card and take my chances. I'll try to bluff my way through a few matches and hopefully feel good." The Wimbledon champion in 1992 and runner-up last year to Pete Sampras, Agassi took a late wild card for Queen's to get ready for Wimbledon. In his first match on grass in a year, he struggled to beat France's Anthony Dupuis in three sets.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
