Graf starts comeback with doubles loss
Posted: Monday November 02, 1998 04:52 PM
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Graf played for the first time in 56 days Gary M. Prior/Allsport |
LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) -- Steffi Graf's latest comeback began
Monday with the former world No. 1 firing an ace, then losing in
doubles at the $450,000 Leipzig Open.
Graf, plagued by injuries most of the past two years, appeared
relaxed playing for the first time in 56 days following an
operation on her right hand after the U.S. Open.
Graf, teaming up alongside inexperienced 16-year-old Mia Buric,
was healthy, if rusty, as the pair lost to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
and Natascha Zvereva, 7-5, 6-4.
"Physically I feel good," said Graf, who dominated the women's game for a
decade before a knee injury threatened her career end in 1996. "But since we were playing one of the world's top doubles team, we approached the match in a pretty easy-going way."
The 29-year-old Graf steps on the court Tuesday in singles
against Romania's Ruxanda Dragomir, the latest comeback coming
earlier than anticipated. The German had originally planned to
return November 9 at the Philadelphia event.
She took a wild card at Leipzig, a tournament that she helped found and had won every year between 1990 and 1993, because her latest injury had
healed faster than expected.
"I'm ready to play singles, but I'm not expecting to reach the
final," said the German.
Graf displayed her usual on-court intensity during the match
against Zvereva and Sanchez-Vicario, both ranked in the world's top
10 in doubles, but at the press conference afterwards described the
match as just "horsing around."
She landed most of her strong serves, although she
double-faulted at match point. But rust showed in her volleys and
rreturns Her playing partner, Buric, is ranked No. 551 in the world in
doubles. She is one of three juniors coached by Graf under a
program sponsored by Porsche.
"Because of my injuries I could play with the girls a lot,"
sai Graf, who has said that teaching young players was more
gratifying than she'd expected, and something she wants to pursue
after her career ends.
Graf boasts 103 career titles but has yet to claim another since
returning from the knee injury last year.
She showed signs that she still can compete against
the new generation of players like current No. 1 Lindsay Davenport
and Swiss teenager Martina Hingis before the hand injury sidelined
her again.
In a warmup tournament leading up to the U.S. Open, Graf beat
Jana Novotna and Davenport, then ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the
world.
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