Kournikova to return at Sea Island

Courtesy B. Mitchell
By Chris Davies
April 29 2003

Anna Kournikova who is recovering from a thigh injury is scheduled to play in a USTA Professional Circuit event at Sea Island next month in a bid to improve her rankings and current form

The $25,000 clay-court tournament will be held May 4-11 at The Cloister tennis facility on Georgia's coast.

"This will be a huge thing for us," said Sea Island teaching pro Dickie Anderson. "It's unheard of at this level to have a player like her."

Kournikova is recovering from a torn abductor muscle in her thigh which she injured during her first round match against Conchita Martinez at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C., on April 9.

She was scheduled to play in a USTA circuit tournament in Dothan, Ala., last week but withdrew. She wants to play at Sea Island in preparation for the French Open, which begins May 26 in Paris. She pulled out of last weeks German Open, Berlin after being granted a wild card.

Kournikova has never won a WTA event, but her off-the-court exploits have made her one of the sport's most recognizable players.

"It's a bonanza that's fell into everybody's lap," Anderson said. "I pray every night to make sure nothing happens, but I get the gut feeling she's coming unless she reinjures it between now and then."

Kournikova has not played in a USTA circuit event since 1996.