Clijsters could miss French Open due to Injury

Just when everything seemed to be going her way, Kim Clijsters of Belgium may miss the French Open due to a foot injury.

Having come out of retirement recently, Clijsters surged back in the rankings to her current No. 11. However, she is out for up to six weeks after tearing a muscle in her left foot during a Fed Cup singles match against Estonia.

Clijsters beat Maret Ani 6-4, 6-2 Saturday despite discomfort in the foot. The bruising got more painful overnight, forcing her to pull out of Sunday’s second match. Tests at a hospital showed the muscle tear in her foot.

U.S. Seals Berth in Fed Cup Final

Bethanie Mattek-Sands celebrates at the end of her 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 match against Ekaterina Makarova in their Fed Cup singles match Sunday, April 25. Her victory kept the United States’ Fed Cup title hopes alive tying the semifinal matchup with Russia at 2-2.

That brought it down to a decisive doubles match with Mattek-Sands teaming up with Liezel Huber against the Russian team of Elena Dementieva and Alla Kudryavtseva.

Can the WTA solve the injury plague?

Injuries have long been a part of the sports scene. Lately, however, injuries seem to be a plague on both the women’s and men’s side of the tennis court.

The WTA tried to address that problem last year, when after years of debate and struggle, the season was shortened by two weeks – that is, the offseason was shortened from seven to nine weeks before they had to start up again in 2010. The WTA also reduced the number of required events for the top players. These two changes were designed to do two things: 1) keep the biggest stars from getting injured, and 2) get them to face off against each other more often.

Safina Will Not Return to Tennis Any Time Soon

Russia’s Dinara Safina, the former No. 1 ranked tennis player, has no set time frame for returning to competitive tennis. However, she has not given up hopes of making a return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Safina has been off the competitive circuit since the 2010 Australian Open. She had severely injured her back during the 2009 summer season, but had continued to play up through the Australian Open, when she was forced to retire in the fourth round while playing against her countrywoman, Maria Kirilenko.

Stosur wins 2nd WTA Career Title

Samantha Stosur of Australia won her 2nd WTA career title by soundly defeating Vera Zvonareva of Russia in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3 on Sunday at the 2010 WTA Tour Family Circle Cup in Charleston. South Carolina, USA.

Stosur was very dominant throughout the match, but especially in the first set, allowing Zvonareva only 5 points in the entire first set. Throughout the match, Stosur won 86% of her 1st serve points; Zvonareva won only 37% of her 1st serve points. That’s one-sided dominance!

Wozniacki Goes Down with Injury; Zvonareva and Stosur in Final

The 2010 WTA Tour Family Circle Cup came to an abrupt end for Caroline Wozniacki on Saturday in Charleston. Going for the second drop shot of the point against Vera Zvonareva, Caroline rolled her right ankle. After receiving treatment, Caroline tried to continue to play, but soon realized she could not go on. The No. 1 seed retired trailing 2-5 in the 1st set.

Wozniacki advances, Jankovic upset in Charleston

Caroline Wozniacki, the top seed at the
WTA Tour Family Circle Cup being played in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, advanced to the Semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win Friday over Nadia Petrova. Meanwhile, 2nd seed, Jelena Jankovic was upset by Daniella Hantuchova 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.

“I feel like I’m playing very well,” said Wozniacki. “I’m very confident, and I’ve got some good results with my play.”

Serena Williams Announces Return to Tennis

World No. 1, Serena Williams of the USA has announced her return date to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour after spending over two months on the injured list.

Williams has not competed since she won the Australian Open in January, 2010, her 12th Grand Slam title. She has accepted a wild card into the 2010 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Italy, scheduled for May 2-9.

Williams has been sidelined for most of the tennis season thus far because of a reoccurring knee injury. She was forced to withdraw from Paris, Dubai, Miami, and Marbella last week.

Wozniacki Repeats at MPS Group Championships

Caroline Wozniacki, the defending champion at the MPS Group Championships, successfully defended that title Sunday at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The 19-year-old Dane won in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5 over 21-year-old, Olga Govortsova from Minsk, Belarus.

Wozniacki showed great determination in the 1st set, winning easily on three breaks of serve 6-2. Govortsova took a 4-1 lead in the 2nd set and held two set points at 5-3 before Wozniacki came back to win the final set 7-5.

Navratilova Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

After battling it out on the pro tennis circuit for almost 30 years, Martina Navratilova has a new battle on her hands. A report says that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. However, her prognosis is said to be excellent.

People magazine’s website posted a story Wednesday quoting Navratilova saying “I cried” after being informed of the diagnosis following a routine mammogram.

The report says the 53-year-old Navratilova had a lumpectomy and will begin six weeks of radiation therapy next month. It added that the nine-time Wimbledon women’s singles champion was diagnosed with a non-invasive form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS.