Tennis: Novotna's Wimbledon title defence in doubt
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.JANA NOVOTNA must wait to find out if she will be fit to defend her Wimbledon title after picking up a serious ankle injury at the French Open yesterday, writes John Roberts.
The 30-year-old Czech was taken from the court in tears after falling during a women's doubles quarter-final in Paris. Novotna and her partner, Natasha Zvereva, the fifth seeds, led Lindsay Davenport and Mary Pierce 3-2 in the first set when Novotna went over on her right ankle playing an overhead shot. She fell in obvious pain and was treated for several minutes before being taken from centre court in a wheelchair.
The French Tennis Federation's doctor, Bernard Montalvan, said there was no fracture but that Novotna would have to wait a week before knowing how long she would be out of action. He said: "On Thursday we will do an echography to see how badly the ligaments have ben damaged. She is suffering a lot but the tourniquet and the ice we put on immediately after the fall has stopped the ankle from swelling up too much." The Wimbledon championships begin on 21 June.
Martina Hingis will play doubles with Anna Kournikova at the Direct Line International Championships in Eastbourne from 15 to 19 June. The pair won the Australian Open title in January. In April, Hingis told Novotna, with whom she won the Wimbledon doubles championship last year, that she wanted Kournikova to be her regular partner. "I had heard rumours," Novotna said, "and, when I asked Martina, she told me I was getting too old and slow."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments