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.