Nagging Injuries Oust Rios Again

Marcelo Rios’ first appearance at the Mercedes-Benz Cup at UCLA ended before he stepped on the court, an increasingly common occurrence for the 23-year-old Chilean.

The fourth-seeded Rios withdrew on Monday because of tendinitis in both hips. He had been scheduled to play Magnus Larsson of Sweden today in the first round, and will be replaced in the draw by lucky loser, Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand.

“I just talked to the doctor, he said if I keep playing I will injure my hip further,” Rios said. “I first hurt it two weeks ago, and it’s been getting more and more sore each day.”

All year, Rios has suffered from various injuries. He withdrew from the Australian Open because of a small stress fracture in his back and missed nearly two months. The only Grand Slam he has played this year was the French Open, and he lost in the quarterfinals. A back injury kept him out of Wimbledon.

Despite all the injuries, Rios has managed to win two clay-court titles this year. But he expected to be contending for No. 1, a spot he held briefly twice last year.

“It’s been the worst [year] of my career,” Rios said. “It’s the first time I’m so injured in four years.”

Monday featured a light schedule with only one seeded player in action. Fifth-seeded Thomas Enqvist of Sweden defeated Mark Woodforde of Australia, 6-3, 6-4. Enqvist, a finalist at the Australian Open this year, served 10 aces and was broken only once.

There was one mild surprise. Anthony Dupuis of France, ranked No. 133, defeated No. 36 Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden, 6-4, 6-4. Dupuis, 26, has played mostly at the challenger level, reaching the quarterfinals at Aptos, Calif., earlier this month.

Of local note, Justin Gimelstob, who played his collegiate tennis at UCLA, defeated wild-card entry Taylor Dent of Newport Beach, 6-2, 6-2, in another first-round match.

Additionally, Pete Sampras and his coach Paul Annacone played doubles but lost to Byron Black of Zimbabwe and Wayne Ferreira of South Africa, 6-4, 6-2. Annacone, who retired from the tour in 1994, last played doubles with Sampras at Monte Carlo last year.

*

The ATP honored Rod Laver on Monday night, commemorating the 30th anniversary of his second career Grand Slam. Laver, 60, has made a remarkable recovery after suffering a moderate stroke a year ago during this tournament.

Andre Agassi and Sampras presented him with a Waterford crystal bowl.

“He’s always been a class act and someone I’ve tried to emulate,” Sampras said. “He’s always been my idol.”

Said Agassi: “Most players feel the same way Pete does. I know I certainly do. To me, his record is the one that is phenomenal, winning the Grand Slam a couple of times. The years he didn’t play were the years of the [Roy Emerson] record that Pete is trying to beat.

“He’s the man in the game of tennis.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Mercedes-Benz Cup at a Glance

STADIUM COURT

Matches begin at 11 a.m.

* Wayne Ferreira vs. Geoff Grant

* Alex O’Brien vs. Lleyton Hewitt

* Guillaume Raoux vs. Tim Henman

* Max Mirnyi vs. Goran Ivanisevic

Matches begin at 7:30 p.m.

* Philip King vs. Pete Sampras

* Andre Agassi vs. Jan-Michael Gambill

****

GRANDSTAND COURT

Matches begin at 11 a.m.

* Daniel Nestor vs. Axel Pretzsch

* Paradom Srichaphan vs. Magnus Larsson

* Byron Black vs. Andrew Ilie

* Gimelstob-Humphries vs. Grant/Tebbutt

* Joyce-Spencer vs. Black/Stolle