On 29th July 1995, Monica played an exhibition-match against Martina
Navrátilová at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey,
USA. It was her first match since the stabbing on 30th April 1993,
and she won 6-3 6-2.

On 22nd March 2004, Monica played an exhibition-match against
Martina Navrátilová at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia, USA.
It was her first match since losing in the first round of the French
Open on 27th May 2003, and she lost 6-4 7-6 (7/3).

Whilst it would only have been fitting for Monica to have had
another fairy-tale victory against the best 47-year-old ever to
swing a tennis-racket, I'm just glad that Monica has finally played
a match after a lay-off of almost ten months.


According to those lucky enough to actually see the match, Monica
played well, moved well, and looked lean and fit - although her
grunt was much quieter than in the past! ;-)

But Navrátilová was on fire, and no doubt her formidable net-rushing
game - which brought her the mixed-doubles titles at the Australian
Open and Wimbledon last year, and which I saw myself in singles as
recently as Eastbourne 2002 - was as much a factor as Monica's
rustiness.

A crowd of 2700 were thoroughly entertained, as both players
produced "some vintage shots" on the artificial surface laid over
the Virginia Commonwealth basketball-court.

Monica served first in the first set, which featured just one break
of serve as Navrátilová broke for 3-2 and ultimately served out the
set 6-4.

Navrátilová broke in the first game of the second set, and games
went with serve until Monica broke back to 4-4. Games then went with
serve until the tiebreak, which Navrátilová won 7/3.


Monica: "I felt really good moving out there. Just to be able to
play points was a lot of fun. I had a great time. It's going to be a
slow [process] for me to get back. I'm just excited that my foot
held up."


Navrátilová: "It's funny. We've played each other a few times now in
the past three years and the times before, I was the one who was
rusty because I was playing doubles and Monica was on the tour. I
was expecting her to be rustier than she was.

"She played really well. I'm playing a lot better than I did the
last time we played over a year ago. She was moving pretty well. I
think her biggest thing is getting her serve going. That's what took
me so long. It took me years to get my arm going again. Otherwise,
her groundstrokes are amazing. Her passing-shots. A couple of
returns I was just watching, being a spectator.

"I'm really trying to play singles to improve my doubles. Most
people play doubles to help their singles, but I do it the other
way."


Before the singles match, Monica had played Navrátilova in a mixed-
doubles pro-set match, each lady partnering a local pro: Monica and
Carl Clark beat Navrátilová and Sean Steinour 8-5.


Apparently, Monica's left foot held up fine, just three weeks after
she took off the soft cast in which she had been letting the broken
bone heal.

Monica: "I had been doing a lot of rehabbing with the cast on, but
this is much better. I tape it very well and go to therapy every
day. No problems. I'm very happy about the way things are going. It
was a very frustrating injury, and I'm glad to have it behind me."


So where does Monica go from here? Before yesterday's match she had
already pulled out of an exhibition-match against Jennifer Capriati
scheduled for today (23rd March), and is skipping Miami because she
feels she is not yet "tournament-ready".

Monica: "I've got to take it very slowly. I've got to take baby
steps. I have a tendency to go right into it, but I learned my
lesson. I've got to be careful with this injury.

"I want to see how it goes for the next few weeks and how I feel.
The doctor wants me to take it slowly because he knows I have a
problem where I want to do everything immediately. He wants me to be
as patient as I can."

Monica hopes to be back in time for the French Open - the scene of
her last match counting towards the WTA Rankings (out of which she
will drop on 19th April, assuming she hasn't played a tournament by
then) - but it is too early for her to say one way or the other
whether she will play at Roland Garros yet. Apparently she said in
an informal chat that she would like to play the Family Circle Cup
at Charleston (week of 12th April).

Personally, I'd love to see Monica play Wimbledon for the first time
since 2002. I just hope she doesn't come back but reinjure herself,
have to miss Wimbledon and even possibly retire. So I'm glad she's
taking it very slowly - a wise strategy after all the recurrences of
stress-fractures in both feet that she's had to endure since
September 1999.


Articles:
- http://www.wtatour.com/newsroom/stories/NewsArticle_3710_rx.asp
- http://makeashorterlink.com/?O205312D7
- http://makeashorterlink.com/?R215312D7

Other acknowledgements:
- http://www.seles.co.uk/
- Richmond Times-Dispatch for interviewing Monica
- Chris in Richmond for live score-updates

Photos:
http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=107443

I wish Monica the best of luck in her comeback. It would be
fantastic if I got to see the greatest tennis-player of all time in
live action again.

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