WIMBLEDON REPORT : Reports of Seles’ Injury Are Greatly Exaggerated

The real story has yet to come out on why Monica Seles pulled out of Wimbledon. For reporters here, that’s turning out to be both frustrating and fun.

It is frustrating because truth and facts are what reporters seek. But it is fun simply reading and hearing all the half-stories and non-stories.

Sunday’s best had Seles’ father, Karolyi, telling a Yugoslav newspaper in Belgrade, the Novosti, that his daughter “hurt so bad when she got up in the morning that she could hardly walk.” He also said that her “arm injury” was so bad that she might have to quit playing for two or three months.

Arm injury? Does Seles walk around on her hands?

If all the reports of injury to various parts of her body were true, Seles would need a body transplant before she could play again.

A Shot Heard ‘Round The World Of Tennis: They are still talking here about the shot of the year by Elise Burgin in the French Open. Burgin, teaming with Patty Fendick in the women’s doubles, as she is here, was serving at 2-4 and 30-40 of a third set against Lupita Novelo, formerly of USC, and her partner, Susan Somerville. Burgin was serving to Somerville in the backhand court; Novelo was standing near the service line in the forehand court. Burgin missed her first serve, then shanked her second and hit Novelo on the fly before Novelo could duck out of the way, meaning that, instead of a double fault and a break of service, Burgin got the point and the game went back to deuce.

Burgin and Fendick eventually rallied to win the match and got to the quarterfinals.

“Just goes to show, I have all the shots,” Burgin said with a smile.