Former No. 1 Davenport's season over after foot surgery
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer
October 15, 2003
Three-time major champion Lindsay Davenport had surgery on her left foot Wednesday in Los Angeles and will miss the rest of the season, including the WTA Championships.
The operation removed a small nerve that was bothering her between two toes, according to her agent, Tony Godsick.
``It was a difficult decision to have the surgery at this time, because it means missing the Championships, where the best compete against the best,'' Davenport said. ``But I'm really looking forward to getting back onto the court and being ready for the start of next season.''
The nerve had been hampering the former No. 1-ranked player since the spring.
It forced her to pull out of her fourth-round match at the French Open and the final of a hard-court tournament in New Haven, Conn., just before the U.S. Open. Davenport then had a cortisone shot to numb the pain, and although she never looked completely comfortable, she reached the semifinals at the U.S. Open.
``The fact of the matter is, if I want to play next year, if I want to play at a high level, I almost have to have this taken care of immediately,'' Davenport said during the year's last Grand Slam.
``The last few months, I haven't been able to make it over 90 minutes in practice. If I want to play next year and do well, it's something I need to take care of.''
She didn't play a competitive match from the U.S. Open until last week's indoor tournament in Filderstadt, Germany. Davenport wanted to test the injury there, and she lost to Elena Bovina in the quarterfinals.
Davenport is expected to be sidelined until December, when she should be able to return to practice, Godsick said. She plans to return to WTA Tour action in time for the Australian Open in January.
Davenport currently is ranked No. 4. She won one title in 2003, at Tokyo in February, reached five other finals and ends the season with $1,293,743 in prize money.
The American finished 1998 and 2001 atop the computer rankings, and her 37 career singles titles include the 1998 U.S. Open, 1999 Wimbledon and 2000 Australian Open.
She missed the first half of 2002 because of right knee surgery.
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