Becker Withdraws After Aggravating Knee Injury

The woes of Boris Becker of Germany continue. In his first tennis tournament since announcing his farewell from Wimbledon, Becker withdrew from the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, because of a knee injury. Becker, who lost to eventual champion Pete Sampras in four sets in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, aggravated the injury in his second-round victory over Karim Alami.

French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten also withdrew from the tournament, because of sore ribs. The eighth-seeded Brazilian trailed Felix Mantilla of Spain, 4-1, in a third-round match when he was forced to quit.

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Top-seeded Michael Chang fought back for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Michael Joyce in the third round of the Legg Mason Classic in Washington. David Wheaton continued his comeback from foot surgery with a 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-1) victory over fifth-seeded Jason Stoltenberg. . . . Monica Seles, in her first match since her third-round loss at Wimbledon, defeated local favorite Terry Ann Zawacki, 6-1, 6-1, in the A&P; Classic at Mahwah, N.J.

Basketball

Rebecca Lobo had 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots to lead the New York Liberty to an 80-54 WNBA victory over the Utah Starzz before 9,017 at Madison Square Garden. . . . Eva Nemcova and Lynette Woodard scored 14 points as the Cleveland Rockers ended a three-game losing streak with a 65-47 victory over the Charlotte Sting before 4,301 at Cleveland’s Gund Arena.

Free-agent power forward Derek Strong re-signed with the Orlando Magic, taking a one-year deal worth $326,000. . . . Former Boston Celtic Dino Radja is headed for Greece, signing with Panathinaikos AC.

Football

Dallas Cowboy receiver Michael Irvin met with owner Jerry Jones but left without saying if he would be in Austin, Texas, for the start of training camp today. Irvin was quoted in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as saying he would live up to his contract, but he called a radio station twice Thursday to dispute the report.

The New Orleans Saints got their No. 1 draft pick, guard Chris Naeole, into camp on schedule, and signed him to a five-year contract. . . . Yatil Green, the rookie wide receiver who is expected to give the Miami Dolphins the deep threat they were missing last season, sprained his right knee during practice.

The New England Patriots signed first-round draft choice Chris Canty for four years, and return specialist David Meggett reported to training camp after a brief holdout. . . . The Oakland Raiders re-signed veteran fullback Derrick Fenner, who started 11 games last season. . . . Fullback Clif Groce re-signed with the Indianapolis Colts. . . . Running back J.J. Smith, who sat out last season because of a torn knee ligament, signed a two-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. . . . Art Monk, one of the best wide receivers in NFL history, signed a one-day contract so he could officially retire as a Washington Redskin.

Jurisprudence

A doctor who once coached tennis star Pete Sampras faces 16 charges of molesting boys he met through his medical practice, authorities said. The allegations against Peter Fischer, a pediatric endocrinologist from Rolling Hills, involve four boys who were 13 to 15 years old at the time, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Eloise Phillips. Fischer, 55, has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney declined to comment on the charges.

Thomas K. Welch, president and chief executive officer of the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee and the man who brought the 2002 Winter Games to Utah, is being investigated for allegedly assaulting his wife last week.

Marv Albert must give impressions of his teeth to a Virginia crime laboratory this month, a judge in the sexual assault case against the NBC sportscaster said.

Miscellany

Olympic silver-medal long jumper James Beckford of Jamaica has been barred from competing for three months after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Beckford tested positive for Ephedrine after an IAAF Grand Prix meet in Paris on June 25. . . . University of Kentucky football player Omar Smith was listed in fair condition at the UK Hospital after being shot in the lower abdomen, according to officials.

The jerseys of three players that put up some of the biggest numbers in Duke basketball history are missing: The retired No. 33 jersey of Grant Hill, No. 32 of Christian Laettner and No. 10 of Dick Groat have been stolen from the Hall of Fame Room at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium. . . . Veteran free-agent goalie Andy Moog agreed to a two-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens. . . . Olympic decathlon gold medalist Dan O’Brien is passing up an invitation to next month’s world championships in Greece because of leg injuries.