Angie likely to miss Fed Cup tie against Puerto Rico in July
Angie likely to miss Fed Cup tie against Puerto Rico in July
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
National number one women's tennis player Angelique "Angie"
Widjaja, still on the slow road to recovery from knee surgery, is
unlikely to be fit for the Fed Cup tie against Puerto Rico in
early July.
Angie, who attended a press conference on Thursday for the
Wismilak International Bali in September, said her doctor advised
her to begin full training in mid-June.
She is expected to return to tournament play in August in U.S.
Open warm-up tournaments in North America. She underwent knee
surgery on her left kneecap in November last year.
Angie's manager Virginia Rusli said the 20 year old was hungry
to get back on the court, but would follow doctor's orders.
"We have a program according to a schedule," she said
separately. "Exactly one month from now she will start training
again, but we don't know how it will go."
Although Angie would like to represent Indonesia in the away
tie on July 9-10, her manager said the timing made it unlikely.
"If we push it, and she's still not ready, then it would all be
for nothing."
Nonplaying Fed Cup captain Suzanna Anggarkusuma said she would
retain the team of Ayu Fani Damayanti, Wynne Prakusya and Romana
Tedjakusuma, who lost 1-4 to Germany in April, in Puerto Rico.
The women are preparing by playing a satellite tournament in
Vietnam next week.
Meanwhile, Angie, who won the Wismilak title in 2001, has
received a wild card to play in Nusa Dua on Sept. 11-18. Also
confirmed to play are defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of
Russia, currently ranked seventh in the world, Patty Schnyder of
Switzerland (13), Croatia's Karolina Sprem (28) and up-and-coming
Argentinean Gisela Dulko.
Spain's Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, who is retired from the tour,
will return to Bali with Kuznetsova, who is a product of the
tennis academy run by Sanchez' brother Emilio and his former
doubles partner Sergio Casale.
Tournament organizer Kevin Livesey said Kuznetsova was
committed to playing the tournament even though the Fed Cup
finals would be held the same week. Russia, the defending
champion, is in the last four with the U.S., France and Spain.