Here is an article by Mic Huber from 6th February 2004:
>>>
Monica Seles was thousands of miles away from where the Australian
Open was being played, but the Sarasota resident kept close tabs on
the year's first Grand Slam event.

Seles paid particular attention to the way Marat Safin overcame an
injury that kept him away from tennis much of last year to make a
run to the final against Roger Federer.

"The way he was able to play so many matches was amazing," Seles
said.

She also took note of the disappointment of Amélie Mauresmo, who
reached the quarterfinals, only to have to default because of a back
injury.

"I felt so bad for her," Seles said. "To get that far, then not be
able to play."

Seles can commiserate with any player dealing with pain and injury.

The former No. 1 player in the world has dealt with her share of
pain and injury, and is now trying to rehabilitate from a foot
injury that threatens her career.

Seles missed most of last year with the foot injury and has no idea
when, or if, she will be back on tour.

"There is no timetable," Seles said recently. She wishes there was.

Seles admits to be frustrated by the lingering injury. She sometimes
sits and holds a racket in her hand but is unable to get out on a
court. She can't run.

"I can't walk on the sand."

Seles has been in a cast for the past nine weeks and will be for
another three or four weeks. Then there will be another MRI to
determine the condition of her left foot and whether the bone that
became split has been healing.

Seles has spent most of her time recently in New York, where her
rehab has included laser treatments. She really can't even enjoy
things like trying out new restaurants because she has been on a low-
carb diet in an attempt to stay in shape. And it is hard to enjoy
much of anything else because of the brutal winter weather in New
York.

"I had to come home for a while," Seles said. "It has been so
incredibly cold. I missed the Sarasota weather."

She also misses not being able to play tennis, and holds out hope
that her career is not finished. But she also has declined to have
surgery on the foot. She has never had surgery and is determined not
to start now.

Seles, now 30, finished last year out of the top 10. That was the
first time that has happened (except for 1994, when she didn't
compete after being stabbed in 1993) since 1988, her first year on
the tour.

If there is a tennis god, Seles' foot will heal and she will be able
to return to the game. One of the best competitors (and genuinely
one of the nicest and most sincere players) in the game, Seles
deserves to go out fighting instead of quietly.
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AID=/20040206/COLUMNIST28/402060340/1091/SPORTS02 ]

Her hope of returning at Miami doesn't look too bright now. :-(

Monica is currently ranked #110, and will drop to around #223 next
week when the points from her Dubai 2003 final come off. She will
drop out of the rankings altogether on 19th April if she doesn't
come back before then, when she will have played fewer than three
tournaments in 52 weeks.

But Monica's ranking means nothing, because she will always be
number one in our hearts. She dropped out of the rankings in
February 1994, but came back co-ranked number one in 1995. This
time, she would be eligible for an injury-protected ranking of #18,
as she was immediately after the French Open 2003.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/