Injury Forces Navratilova From Tourney

Martina Navratilova, a four-time champion and the No. 2 seed this year, was forced to withdraw today from next week’s Virginia Slims Championships because of a knee injury.

Navratilova, who earlier this year won a record ninth Wimbledon singles title, pulled out of the $3-million year-ending tournament because of the “degeneration of bone and calcium deposits” in her right knee, according to a tournament spokesperson.

The 34-year-old repeatedly has said that she should be considered the top player in the world if she won the 16-player Virginia Slims Championships, although there is no way she could overtake No. 1 Steffi Graf in the computer rankings.

She will be replaced in the tournament by Barbara Paulus of Austria.

Navratilova won six tournaments this year, but was beaten by Monica Seles in the final of the Virginia Slims of California earlier this month and lost to Switzerland’s Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere in the fourth round of the U.S. Open in September and again in the quarterfinals of the Toyko Indoors later the same month.

Once the most dominant player in women’s tennis, Navratilova won the Virginia Slims Championships in 1984, 1985 and twice in 1986 (when it was played in March, then switched to November).