Tennis: Injury doubt hangs over Graf: Wimbledon may be deprived of both its singles champions

STEFFI GRAF is due to arrive in London today, according to her agents. If so, her presence might help allay fears that a foot injury is threatening her defence of the Wimbledon title a fortnight hence.

With Andre Agassi visiting a specialist in Seattle for a further opinion concerning tendinitis in his right wrist, there was speculation yesterday that the All England Club could be deprived of both its champions along with Monica Seles, who is recovering from a knife attack.

Agassi, while saying that he is determined to return to Wimbledon, has expressed concern that the injury may require surgery. Yesterday, the American's agents described this possibility as 'the worst-case scenario'.

Graf's right foot became the subject of conjecture after a story in L'Equipe, the French sports daily, stated that she had been seriously injured while regaining the French Open title. The prognosis oscillated between an Achilles tendon problem and a stress fracture.

The German's lack of sparkle in the interview room after she had defeated the American Mary Joe Fernandez in Saturday's final had already raised suspicions that she was troubled by something more than her unforced errors. It was her third triumph in the French championships, but the first for five years, and her mother, Heidi, who is recovering from a back operation, came to watch the final.

According to L'Equipe's medical source, Graf began to experience pain in the foot towards the end of her quarter-final against Jennifer Capriati and had an injection before her semi-final against her compatriot Anke Huber.

This victory guaranteed that Graf would regain the world No 1 position from Seles. A smaller dose of the pain-killer is said to have been administered before the final, Graf winning a close three-set contest.

'We were aware that Steffi was injured in Paris, but we had no reason to think that it was anything startling,' Georgina Clark, the Women's Tennis Association's tour director, said yesterday. 'We receive a report from the trainers each day, and we knew Steffi had been treated. There was no indication that she had a serious problem.'

Graf, who marks her 24th birthday on Monday, would be aiming for a fifth Wimbledon title. She missed the championships in 1986 because of a virus. In 1990, when she lost to the fifth-seeded Zina Garrison in the semi-finals, she had a sinus condition which required surgery after the tournament.

If Graf did have to withdraw, the committee would be spared a possible dilemma with regard to the seeding of Martina Navratilova. The nine-times champion had suggested that she be seeded joint No 2 with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario to avoid being placed in the same half of the draw as Graf. Though the Spaniard is ranked ahead of Navratilova, she has yet to advance beyond the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Victory for Bates, page 35