Barkley Indicates This Will Be Last Season

Charles Barkley, who has said he wants to leave basketball on a high note, said Thursday he’s “99.9% sure” this will be his last season.

The Phoenix Sun star has frequently said he didn’t expect to play more than another season or two, and would have quit last year if the Suns had beaten the Chicago Bulls in the NBA championship.

“I think this is my last year,” Barkley said. “I would like to win the NBA championship, end on an all-time high. I think it would be great to finish like that. In fact, I am 99.9% sure this is my last year.”

Barkley, 30, collapsed from fatigue last week while running wind sprints. He also is recovering from a back injury and said he would like to put off surgery until he retires.

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A misdemeanor assault charge against Suns’ reserve forward Jerrod Mustaf was dismissed in Phoenix because the man he allegedly attacked didn’t appear to testify. Mustaf was accused of hitting his cousin, LeVonnie Wooten, in the head with a telephone.

Tennis

Prosecutors in Hamburg, Germany, said they will appeal a court decision to free the man who stabbed tennis star Monica Seles. Guenter Parche, who said he wounded Seles in his obsession for her tennis rival, Steffi Graf, left jail after spending an extra night behind bars for fear of a public angry because of his suspended sentence for the crime.

Parche was escorted by police to a car and driven away. His lawyer, Otmar Kury, did not say where Parche would go next.

Germany and the United States were awarded the top two seedings for the 1994 Davis Cup, while Australia was seeded No. 3 and Sweden No. 4. The draw Tuesday will determine whether the No. 1 seeding goes to Germany or the United States.

Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker and Michael Chang won third-round matches in the Seiko Super tournament at Tokyo.

Top-seeded Edberg beat fellow Swede Jonas Svensson, 6-2, 6-4; second-seeded Becker of Germany hit 19 aces as he beat Patrick McEnroe, 6-1, 7-6 (7-2), and third-seeded Chang defeated 13th-seeded Australian Mark Woodforde 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Michael Stich was upset by Martin Damm of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, in the first round of an indoor tournament in Bolzano, Italy, then announced he was dropping his coach, Mark Lewis of New Zealand.

Golf

Defending champion Meg Mallon shot a five-under-par 67 to take a two-stroke lead in the World Championship of Women’s Golf at Naples, Fla. Michelle McGann shot a 69, followed by Nancy Lopez, Hiromi Kobayashi, Lauri Merten and Trish Johnson at 70. Donna Andrews and Dottie Mochrie were at 72.

Mike Smith had nine birdies and twice holed out from off the green in a nine-under-par 62 that staked him to the first-round lead in the Texas Open at San Antonio.

Smith missed the cut in seven consecutive tournaments before tying for 64th last week in the Walt Disney Classic.

Miscellany

Immigration authorities in Canberra, Australia, granted a visa for Argentine star Diego Maradona to play in a World Cup qualifying game against Australia in Sydney at the end of the month. Maradona could have been refused entry because of his conviction for cocaine possession two years ago. . . . Peter Pocklington said he again will look for a new home for the Edmonton Oilers after talks failed to resolve his concerns over lease arrangements at Northlands Coliseum. Pocklington, who owns the Oilers, said he will continue to negotiate with the Northlands while seeking another site. . . . Trout season opens officially at Silverwood Lake Saturday with a tournament from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no entry fee, although there is a charge of $6 for vehicles to enter the park, which is in the San Bernardino Mountains on California 138 east of Interstate 215.