I found the following much more positive two articles on www.monica-
seles.com:

>>>
What a Match! Seles, Navrátilová headline VCU's Raise a Racquet
Date : February 19th, 2004
Source : Robb Crocker - richmond.com


The Virginia Commonwealth University SportsCenter announced on
Thursday that they will host a pro exhibition match between Martina
Navrátilová and Monica Seles in March as part of a series of tennis
events in Richmond called "Raise a Racquet."

The event will kick off on March 13 with a five day mixed doubles
tournament at VCU's Thalhimer Tennis Center. On March 21, the event
will sponsor a youth clinic for Richmond-city Girl Scouts at the
Thalhimer Tennis Center. In addition, on March 21, there will be a
silent auction at the VCU's ALLTEL Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel
Center that will feature appearances by Seles and Navrátilová. The
fundraiser auction will feature vacation getaways and a LASIK eye
surgery to name a few items.

Raise a Racquet will close on March 22 as Seles and Navrátilová will
play a mixed doubles pro set with local professionals Carl Clark and
Sean Steinour and then face each other in a three-set singles match
at the Siegel Center.

The event's aim is to promote tennis in Richmond while raising money
for VCU, Advantage Virginia and The McCormack Foundation.

"This is going to be exciting for all of Central Virginia,"
commented VCU Athletic Director Richard L. Sander. "We'll have a
number of huge events that will bring focus to something important."

One unique aspect of the event is that is being coordinated by 43
graduate students at the VCU SportsCenter. The VCU SportsCenter,
which was launched in 1999, offers graduate students the opportunity
to get a master's degree in sports leadership.

"We're going to bring the community behind the event," explained VCU
SportsCenter spokeswoman and graduate student Kathleen Bowles. "The
students have had a hands-on role. It's an experience we're grateful
for having."

Bowles said she's excited at the prospect of watching Seles play in
the exhibitions.

"Her ability is well respected and I'm looking forward to her coming
into town."

Seles, who participated in the afternoon press conference via
conference call, said despite her recent and past injuries, she's
thrilled to be a participant in the event and impressed with the
participation of VCU's SportsCenter students.

"It is fantastic that the students are managing the event," she said.

"I'll be very happy to be playing again. I haven't played in
awhile," Seles, who is recovering from a foot injury, explained. "It
will be a fantastic match with Martina with contrasting styles."

Seles last played competitively in the 2003 French Open last May and
last faced Navrátilová over two years ago.

"Martina is one of the great players to play the game. She's a real
inspiration," said Seles, who has won nine Grand Slam singles titles
since she turned pro in 1989 at the age of 15. "We always had epic
matches. Each match has been very close and competitive."

Seles has won 53 singles titles and 6 doubles titles in her career.

Advantage Virginia, a beneficiary of the event, is in the process of
developing a program that will bring tennis, academic and tutoring
opportunities to children at a planned world class tennis facility
in Richmond. For the youth clinic, which will be held March 21, the
advisor ratio for the participants will be three youths to one
advisor. Advantage Virginia representative Tommy Cain, a former
professional tennis player, said Advantage Virginia is "excited to
be the beneficiary of the proceeds."

Navrátilová, who has turned pro in 1973, retired in 1994 and
launched a comeback recently, has won 167 singles titles, including
18 Grand Slam titles, and 79 doubles titles. Her 167 singles titles
are more than any man or woman has won in professional tennis.

Seles leads the head-to-head competition between the two, winning
ten of their 17 matches.

Despite a career advantage, Seles has the utmost respect for
Navrátilová.

"She's unbelievable; not just how she plays," she commented. "She is
still winning Grand Slam events now. It's amazing how she's improved
[since coming out of retirement]."
<<<

>>>
Seles eager to get foot back in door. Exhibition match with
Navrátilová part of healing process.
Date : February 20th, 2004
Source : JOHN PACKETT - TIMES-DISPATCH


Monica Seles is itching to get back on the tennis court, and
Richmonders might be the first ones to see - and hear - her next
month.

Seles, who hasn't played competitively since last year's French Open
in May because of surgery on her right foot, is scheduled to meet
Martina Navrátilová in an exhibition March 22 at the Siegel Center.

"I'm feeling good," Seles said yesterday. "I've been in this cast. I
haven't played in a while, and I can't wait to get back."

The winner of nine Grand Slam singles titles during her career,
Seles left the circuit last year when it became too painful to play
on the foot. The 30-year-old has been recovering at her home in
Sarasota, Fla., and is hopeful of banging her ground strokes again
soon.

"I'm going to have an MRI on Wednesday of next week," Seles
said. "So that's what I'm shooting for [to start playing]. This foot
problem has been a major bummer. The last couple of months have been
a testing time for me. I'm just going to take it a month at a time.
The main thing is not to come back too fast.

"I've been trying to stay positive through all this, which is really
important, but it's been hard."

Seles and Navrátilová, 47, haven't played a tournament match since
an indoor event in Paris in 1993, not long before she was stabbed in
the back during a tourney in Germany.

"We always had these epic matches," Seles said. "It would be 6-4 or
7-5 in the third set. We're just such opposite game styles. She
keeps charging the net, and I keep trying to keep her back. She
lives very close to me, and we practiced quite a few times last year.

"It's a pleasure to play her. She's one of the greatest to ever play
the game. It's amazing that she's still playing and winning Grand
Slams [in doubles]. She's such an inspiration."

Seles, whose distinctive grunting was as much a part of her game as
two-handed returns, wants to get back on the tour later this year,
but realizes it's going to be a slow process.

"I'm just looking short-term right now, but if I could come back and
be injury-free, that would be the biggest gift I could have," she
said.
<<<

My reactions:
1. Mic Huber's article of 6th February has made me very cautious, so
I'm not assuming that Monica's exhibition against Jennifer Capriati
on 23rd March, and her subsequent participation in Miami, are still
going to go ahead.
2. Has she really had surgery? The second paragraph of the second
article does not tally with what it says about Monica always
avoiding surgery in Mic Huber's article, and I'm inclined to believe
the latter.

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