Lendl and Frawley Out for Now; Teltscher Out for Good

Ivan Lendl and John Frawley withdrew Friday from next week’s Volvo tournament at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, and Eliot Teltscher surprisingly announced his immediate retirement, bringing to five the number of players who have pulled out of the event.

Lendl, who also withdrew from the tournament the last time he was scheduled to play here, in 1986, informed the Assn. of Tennis Professionals (ATP) that he had a sore shoulder and could not play.

The world’s No. 2-ranked player has complained of a sore shoulder since August. A spokeswoman for Lendl’s management company, Spectrum Sports Inc., said that two specialists have examined Lendl’s right shoulder but are not in agreement as to what the problem might be. They believe it is either a slight shoulder separation or a degeneration of the shoulder joint.

Lendl will seek additional medical opinions but has been told to rest his shoulder until an accurate diagnosis is made and proper treatment is decided upon.

Lendl still is committed to appear at a fund-raiser Tuesday for the National Foundation for Wheelchair Tennis at the Newport Beach Tennis Club, but he will not play his scheduled exhibition match against Roscoe Tanner.

Frawley withdrew because of the flu. Pat Cash and Aaron Krickstein earlier withdrew from next week’s event.

Teltscher’s retirement announcement was both sudden and unexpected. The 29-year-old Palos Verdes resident, ranked No. 37 in the world, has played in just 9 tournaments this year and is 138th on the money list with $42,319.

Teltscher had surgery on his elbow three years ago.

“After that, he never returned to the point where he felt he could effectively play, week in and week out,” said Teltscher’s agent, Lon Monk.

An All-American at UCLA in 1978, Teltscher won 9 tournaments and earned more than $1.6 million in his career.

The five withdrawals have elevated Tim Wilkison from a wild card into the main draw. The three wild-card berths have not been filled, but Robby Weiss, Jay Berger and Pete Sampras have been mentioned as possibilities. A qualifying tournament today and Sunday will fill the remaining four places in the 32-player main draw.