Angie set for January return<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
National number one Angelique \"Angie\" Widjaja has opted to
\ngive next month's Southeast Asian (SEA) Games a miss, setting a
\ntarget to return to the WTA Tour in January.<\/p>\n
Angie's manager Virginia \"Vivi\" Rusli said on Tuesday the
\nBandung native would play the Australian Open warmup tournaments
\nand the Grand Slam in January if all went well with her recovery
\nfrom left knee surgery.<\/p>\n
\"That is our program. Besides, Angie is eager to play tennis
\nbut she has to wait for her total recovery from her left knee
\ninjury,\" Vivi said.<\/p>\n
After concentrating on building up her thigh strength to
\nreduce the risk of further injury to her knee, Angie, who will
\nturn 21 on Dec. 12, began to practice on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"Theoretically, with less burden on her knees, we hope that
\nAngie will not suffer injury in the same areas,\" Vivi added.<\/p>\n
Angie suffered the knee injury during the Qatar Open in
\nFebruary last year. She returned to the WTA Tour after three
\nmonths, but underwent surgery in Australia in November 2004.<\/p>\n
She has put off a return to the tour several times, including
\ngiving up a wildcard to play the Wismilak International -- a
\ntournament she won on her debut in 2001 -- in Bali in September.<\/p>\n
In June, she underwent surgery after developing an infection
\nin the knee.<\/p>\n
Her rankings -- she reached a singles high of 55 in March 2003
\nand 15 in doubles in February 2004 -- have slipped off the
\ncomputer after a year of inactivity.<\/p>\n
Angie, who enjoyed a sparkling junior career that included the
\nWimbledon (2001) and Roland Garros (2002) crowns, is expected to
\nplay in the Fed Cup World Group II tie here against China in
\nApril.<\/p>\n
\"Ibu (Mrs.) Martina Widjaja, the Indonesian Tennis Association
\n(Pelti) chairwoman, has asked Angie to totally concentrate on her
\nrecovery program. She understood that Angie could not play in the
\nSEA Games, but she asked Angie to be ready for the Fed Cup next
\nyear,\" Vivi said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is seeded second in the group, behind Switzerland
\nand ahead of Croatia and Thailand, but the Chinese women -- led
\nby Li Na -- will be a tough prospect.<\/p>\n
For the 2005 SEA Games, Pelti said it would prepare either
\nSepti Mende or Maya Rosa to replace Angie.<\/p>\n
Wynne Prakusya, Romana Tedjakusuma and Ayu Fani Damayanti --
\nwho played Fed Cup this year -- have secured slots for the SEA
\nGames women's tennis team.<\/p>\n
In the 2003 SEA Games, Indonesia won three golds, with women's
\ndoubles Wynne\/Maya contributing one gold. The other two golds
\nwere from the men's team and mixed doubles events.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/angie-set-for-january-return-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}