Chelsea expect Ashley and Joe Cole to follow John Terry with new contracts

England captain John Terry has finalised a deal to become football’s highest-ever paid defender while Chelsea are also poised to end any long-term uncertainty over two more of Fabio Capello’s key players with new contracts for both Joe and Ashley Cole.

Joe Cole is continuing his rehabilitation from the knee injury that has sidelined him since January, but Ashley Cole and Terry reported for England duty at the team’s Hertfordshire base on Monday ahead of the friendly against Slovenia on Saturday and the World Cup qualifier against Croatia a week on Wednesday.

Chelsea have already made it clear that they want the two Coles to commit to new long-term contracts, with Ashley having agreed a deal in principle and Joe about to open negotiations.

Terry, who was the subject of a £30million offer from Manchester City, has agreed a new contract worth around £150,000 a week that makes him Chelsea’s best paid player and also the second highest earning footballer in the Premier League after Robinho. The new deal keeps Terry at Chelsea under 2014 when he will be 33. “This reaffirms both John’s and Chelsea’s long-stated desire for him to be at Stamford Bridge for the rest of his playing career,” a Chelsea statement said.

Terry’s new contract will be widely interpreted as a consequence of Manchester City’s desire to make him their major signing of the summer. It is certainly unusual for Chelsea to enter contract negotiations with someone who had agreed a five-year deal as recently as 2007.

Terry was flattered by City’s interest but insisted that his decision to stay at Chelsea was not linked to a potential new contract. He did, however, hint that Capello’s reaction had been in his thoughts. A move to Manchester City would have pushed Terry’s wages up towards £200,000 a week but he would have missed out on Champions League football in the lead up to the World Cup.

Ashley Cole also warned that next year’s World Cup could represent the last chance for many in the current squad after three quarter-final defeats in major tournaments under Sven-Goran Eriksson and then the failure to qualify for Euro 2008.

“We’ve all grown up. We’ve started to realise that this World Cup finals could be our last tournament,” the 29 year-old said. “I’ve got good young players coming up in my position, so I know there is pressure. I have to focus and make sure I do well. I think it’s the same for a lot of players.

“I think the England team is quite set in the players that play too – we’re not chopping and changing all the time. The manager knows his team and the squad he’ll take if we get there. It feels settled, and people are starting to come into their own. Wayne Rooney, for instance, is playing very well.”

Capello has also acknowledged Rooney’s significance to England. “Rooney is a really important player, he’s incredible and young - he can improve a lot with more experience and confidence in himself,” he said.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Keiren Fallon lands plum ride in Betfred Sprint Cup

Kieren Fallon will partner the favourite when he rides in his first Group One race in Britain in more than three years.

Fallon will be aboard the William Haggas-trained High Standing, a progressive type who heads the market at 3-1 for Saturday's Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock Park.

The six-times champion jockey had also been linked to July Cup runner-up Main Aim – Ryan Moore is under suspension – but Sir Michael Stoute said it would be a late call on whether the colt even takes his chance. “He would not want fast ground, so we’re prepared to wait as long as we have to, and then decide. But I’m very pleased with him,” Stoute added.

Fallon had also been mentioned as a possible to ride the Stoute runners at Leopardstown on Saturday. But Doctor Fremantle misses the Irish Champion Stakes because of a minor foot injury, and the well-regarded Heaven Sent is to be partnered by Mick Kinane in the Matron Stakes.

Fallon, who makes his comeback following spells on the sidelines for the Old Bailey ‘race-fixing’ trial, from which he emerged with ‘no case to answer,’ and an 18-month drugs-related racing ban, has been in demand as he prepares for his return on Friday.

Last night, Fallon said: “I’m just going through the rides now with Dave [Pollington, his agent], but it looks like I’ll have three at Lingfield Park and five at Kempton (at night) on my first day back.” This is indicative of strong support from racing’s mainstream trainers.

Fallon is scheduled to meet officials from the British Horseracing Authority on Tuesday when he will apply for a jockey’s licence. This formality will be completed with Paul Scotney, the BHA’s head of security and licensing, reminding Fallon that he must not transgress the Rules of Racing.

High Standing, the Wokingham Handicap winner, is a cracking first Group One ride, befitting a former champion on the comeback trail. The four-year-old is a rapid-improver, who heads a list of 16 acceptors for one of the season’s leading sprints. Fleeting Spirit, the July Cup winner, is 7-2 second favourite, with Finjaan, who returned to his best at Goodwood, at 5-1.

In Ireland, Sea The Stars will face a maximum of 10 rivals in the Irish Champion Stakes, if he runs. Aidan O’Brien is playing safe, with six acceptors, including both the ante-post favourite Fame And Glory and Juddmonte International runner-up Mastercraftsman. Officials are striving to provide a good racing surface to ensure Sea The Stars and Fame And Glory both line up, but rain was reported at Leopardstown on Monday.

Watching Brief by Marlborough

Velvet Touch: Mark Johnston boasts a 26 per cent strike-rate in nurseries this season and could strike again with Iron Velvet (3.00 Ripon). After weakening badly over seven furlongs at York, Iron Velvet was dropped back to six at Catterick and scored decisively. He is a progressive type likely to improve further.

Safe Trip: Monashee Rock (3.20 Leicester) has not won for over a year but her last 11 defeats have all come over distances beyond her optimum. She is suited by seven furlongs on a straight track and has dropped to a favourable mark in the handicap.

Bet of The Day: Tot Of The Knar (3.10 Newton Abbot) steps up to a more suitable distance on his first start for the Paul Nicholls stable.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Jenny Meadows attacks IAAF over timing of Caster Semenya gender row

Jenny Meadows, the world 800 metres bronze medallist, has renewed her criticism of the International Association of Athletics Federations' handling of the Caster Semenya gender row, though she admitted she would be "delighted" if her medal was replaced with a silver one once medical tests have been completed on the 18-year-old South African.

As revealed by Telegraph Sport, preliminary tests on Semenya have shown that the teenager has unusually elevated testosterone levels, though the IAAF will not rule on whether she can keep the gold medal she won in Berlin 13 days ago until complex gender verification tests have been completed.

"If anything happened I'd obviously be delighted for myself but I'm not sitting by the phone waiting," said Meadows, whose next outing will be at the World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 12 days' time.

The meeting could, in theory, pit her against Semenya for a second time, though the South African lacks the ranking points for automatic qualification and would require a wild-card.

Given that wild-card invitations are the gift of the IAAF, which is embroiled in a bitter political battle with the South African federation over the gender controversy, one can assume there will be no rematch. But Meadows remains critical of the IAAF's decision to confirm details of Semenya's gender tests just five hours before the start of the 800m final in Germany.

"I thought it was strange timing," Meadows said. "I know a lot of the girls at the time were saying that maybe Semenya wouldn't be in the final. But I put that at the back of my mind because whoever I was racing, it was a final and I just want to come in the top three in every single race."

Meadows, one of 32 World Championship medallists in action at Monday's Aviva British Grand Prix in Gateshead, was beaten into third place in the 800m by American Christy Wurth-Thomas and British team-mate Jemma Simpson.

Her time of 2min 2.15sec was well down on the lifetime best she set in the Berlin final, though she admitted it had been touch and go whether she competed at all.

"My glands are really swollen, I've got a cold and on Friday I thought I wouldn't be able to come," she said.

Despite a top-quality line-up that included 12 champions from Berlin, the meeting failed to ignite. The blustery wind and sporadic rain did not help with the generally lacklustre performances, but the real problem was one of timing.

As Jessica Ennis, the heptathlon world champion, put it after finishing fifth in the 100m hurdles in a time of 13.28 – her slowest of the season by some distance: "It's hard to peak for a championship and then get back into training." She added: "I wasn't expecting to do anything spectacular here. It was all about saying thank-you to the British supporters."

The notable British exceptions were world triple jump champion Phillips Idowu, who won with a highly respectable last-round leap of 17.32m, while Lisa Dobriskey, the world silver medallist, did enough to win her 1500m race comfortably in 4-13.60.

There was also a victory in the 400m for Christine Ohuruogu in a time of 50.94, while William Sharman, who set two lifetime bests in Berlin to finish fourth in the 110m hurdles final, impressed again as he finished second behind American David Payne, the world bronze medallist. There was just 0.01 between them as Payne won in 13.60 into a stiff headwind.

The star of the show, American Tyson Gay, won his 100m with plenty to spare though his time of 10.15 was distinctly underwhelming. It summed up the afternoon.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Calvin Borel to again ride Mine That Bird

Saratoga Springs, NY (Sports Network) - Two-time Kentucky Derby winning jockey Calvin Borel will again be in the saddle of Mine That Bird, the gelding he guided to victory in this year's Run for the Roses.

Trainer Chip Woolley made the announcement on Monday.

Woolley said that Borel, who won the 2007 Kentucky Derby on Street Sense, has regained the mount on Mine That Bird for the $350,000 Goodwood Stakes versus older horses at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, October 10. Borel will also ride the gelding in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita four weeks later.

This will be the third go-around for Borel with the three-year-old owned by Mark Allen and Dr, Leonard Blach. After winning the Kentucky Derby, Borel chose to ride the filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes, which she won. The Louisiana-native came back to ride Mine That Bird to a third-place result in the Belmont Stakes behind Summer Bird.

Borel lost the mount when he could not commit to ride Mine That Bird in the $750,000 West Virginia Derby on August 1. The jockey was aboard Warrior's Reward that day at Saratoga in the $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes and finished second.

Mike Smith, who rode Mine That Bird in the Preakness, came back for the West Virginia Derby and was third there. Smith was scheduled to ride in the Travers Stakes, however the gelding was kept out of the Mid-Summer Derby after undergoing throat surgery earlier this month for an entrapped epiglottis.

Voted the 2008 Canadian champion two-year-old, Mine That Bird has earned $1,892,200 with one win in six starts in 2009.

Mine That Bird is scheduled to lead the post parade for the $2 million All America Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico on Labor Day.

Source: http://www.sportsnetwork.com

Federer begins U.S. Open with easy win

Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - Five-time defending champion Roger Federer cruised in his first-round match Monday at the 2009 U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam event of the year.

The Swiss star easily discarded Devin Britton, 6-1, 6-3, 7-5, in 1 hour, 28 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The world No. 1 Federer took advantage of Britton's 40 unforced errors to make quick work of the American.

Federer beat Andy Murray in last year's final to capture his Open Era-record fifth straight title at Flushing Meadows. The amazing Federer is seeking his 16th major title to extend his own record. He has already won the French Open and Wimbledon this season.

Monday's win was Federer's 35th straight at the U.S. Open (46-4 overall), with his last loss coming at the hands of David Nalbandian in the fourth round in 2003.

Federer, who became the first player in history to surpass $50 million in career prize money with his first-round win, will take on German Simon Greul in the second round. Greul outlasted Giovanni Lapentti of Ecuador, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (11-9), to earn a match with Federer.

American James Blake, the 21st seed, defeated Spaniard Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5.

Other seeded winners Monday included Nikolay Davydenko, Robin Soderling, Tommy Robredo, Tommy Haas, and Lleyton Hewitt.

The eighth-seeded Davydenko of Russia handled German Dieter Kindlmann, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5; 12th-seeded Swede Soderling downed Spaniard Albert Montanes, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4; 14th-seeded Robredo of Spain dismissed American Donald Young, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; 20th-seeded Haas of Germany posted a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 victory over Alejandro Falla of Colombia; and 31st-seeded Hewitt of Australia thumped Brazilian Thiago Alves, 6-0, 6-3, 6-4.

In a pair of mild upsets, Mikhail Youzhny of Russia took down 26th-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, 2-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2, and hard-serving American John Isner outlasted 28th-seeded Victor Hanescu of Romania, 6-1, 7-6 (16-14), 7-6 (7-5), in 2 hours, 27 minutes.

Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland posted the first win of the day on the men's side when he beat Italian Potito Starace, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2), 6-0.

Other wins came from Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Czech Jan Hernych, Belgian Olivier Rochus, Somdev Devvarman of India, Marsel Ilhan of Turkey, and American Robert Kendrick.

Source: http://www.sportsnetwork.com

Patriots LB Bruschi announces retirement

Foxboro, MA (Sports Network) - New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi announced his retirement from football Monday after a 13-year NFL career.

The Patriots, for whom Bruschi played his entire career, held a news conference Monday morning, where team owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick spoke warmly of the iconic Patriot.

"I've had the opportunity to coach a lot of great players over the years and I'll put Tedy above all of them," said an emotional Belichick. "[He's] the epitome of everything you want in a football player. If you asked me to sum up Tedy Bruschi in five seconds...I'd say he's the perfect player. He helped create a tradition here that we are all proud of."

Bruschi helped anchor a defense that was instrumental in New England's three Super Bowl titles spanning four seasons. During his tenure with the team, New England made the playoffs nine times with eight division championships and five conference titles. The 36-year-old one-time Pro Bowl selection holds the franchise record for most postseason games with 22.

"After 13 years of Patriot football, I'm retiring. Every player's career is going to have a beginning, middle and an end, and today is my end. This is a celebration today. I'm in a great place," remarked Bruschi.

"I had a different career. I have moments that I'll remember for the rest of my life, the Patriots, the fans. Being a Patriot my entire career, I'm very proud of. When you come in this facility there's a sign -- it says do your job. I did my job for 13 years and my job is done."

Bruschi totaled 1,138 tackles, 30 1/2 sacks and 12 interceptions in his career with the Patriots. He was the league's Co-Comeback Player of the Year (with Carolina's Steve Smith) in 2005 after returning to play following a mild stroke.

Last year, Bruschi played in 13 games with 12 starts, recording 75 tackles. He most recently played in the Patriots' preseason game against Washington on Friday, recording one tackle.

A former defensive end at Arizona, Bruschi tied the NCAA Division I-A sack record with 52 during his time with the Wildcats. He was a two-time All- American (1994, 1995) and was selected in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft by New England.

Source: sportsnetwork.com

World Rally Championship leader Mikko Hirvonen is intent on strengthening his lead of the series in Australia next week, but has acknowledged that avoiding a no score is more important to him than taking a fourth consecutive rally victory.

A hat-trick of wins in Greece, Poland and an emotional home town success last time out in Finland for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi team leader have propelled him into a three-point lead over defending champion Sebastien Loeb ahead of next week's new-Australian event.

But with thirty points still up for grabs over the three WRC rounds which remain this season, the drivers' title fight is far from over - making a solid points haul his biggest priority.

"It's a crucial rally for the championship. I will try to win but if I can't, then I must score as many points as possible. Zero points and the title fight could be over for me this year," explained Hirvonen.

"I have a good record on new rallies, although I don't feel I do anything differently in either the recce or the rally itself. But I'll be happy if I can maintain that record," added Hirvonen, whose co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen will celebrate his 100th WRC start next week.

Hirvonen claimed his first WRC win in Australia in 2006 but the 29-year-old acknowledges that will count for nothing on new roads. "This is a brand new rally so I don't know what to expect," he said. "The roads in the west where I won in 2006 are different to those we will experience here. The tracks were covered in slippery marble-like stones but I understand these roads are more traditional gravel, which should suit me."

Drivers will only begin to develop an understanding of the characteristics of the gravel roads once the recce begins on Tuesday. However, the Ford team's tyre engineer George Black visited the area last year to examine the nature of the stages.

Hirvonen's team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, starting his third Rally Australia, said the arduous schedule was also likely to be a key factor this time. Drivers must spend more than 14 hours behind the wheel during the first day, over 15 hours on the second and more than 11 hours on the usually short final day.

"They are long days and it will be important to adapt quickly to the time difference after the flight there and sleep a lot to be ready for this rally," he said. "Maintaining concentration will be harder than usual. In most rallies the stages are held in groups of three, but it's different here. The opening section on the first leg includes seven tests so it will be important to remain focused during the long liaison sections.

"Shorter stages usually mean the competition is close because it's more difficult to open big time gaps on short tests than it is on longer sections. The drivers' championship is looking set for an exciting finish and my job in Australia will be to score solid points to help Mikko maintain his challenge for the title," added 24-year-old Latvala.

Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi, 37, will drive a third Focus RS WRC for the team. "I am very much looking forward to the Australian east coast rally experience. The stages will be new to everyone, so we are all in the same position to give it our best shot and get the most out of the challenge. I have great confidence in my car and the team, so I just need to prove that I can perform on the unknown stages," he said.

Source: wrc.com

Stobart pair aim for a strong end to the season

Stobart Ford team drivers Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson are each hoping for strong finishes on Repco Rally Australia next week as they near the end of potentially their best WRC seasons to date.

With just two rounds remaining in Spain and Great Britain after the upcoming long-haul event, Solberg and Wilson are aiming to keep their top ten positions in the drivers' standings and beat their best personal best placings of sixth for Henning (in 2007) and 10th for Wilson (in 2008).

After a suspension-related retirement on the last round in Finland, Norwegian Solberg said he and co-driver Cato Menkerud would be back challenging for the podium again in Australia - hoping to add to the third places they scored this year in Argentina and Poland.

Henning heads to Australia fifth in the drivers' standings and with the honour of being the highest ranked non factory team driver. His younger brother Petter is sixth, two points adrift, but has elected to miss the rally which gives Henning an extra incentive to do well. And with the likelihood of a newer, more competitive car for Petter in Spain and GB, Henning is anxious to put some space between them on the championship table.

“I really enjoy the fast gravel rallies and from competing in Australia before I know that I enjoy it there," said Henning. "I had an accident there last time so I really don’t want a repeat of that. I hope that I can achieve another top-five finish as, with Petter not competing in Australia, that would help my position in the drivers’ standings; so I need to make the most of his absence and score good points. I have had a lot of bad luck recently, and I know that anything can happen, but I hope that it is my turn to have some good luck.”

Meanwhile, Britons Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin are hoping to maintain their consistent finishing record this year, which has featured top-eight placings on seven events and only one non finish. Like Solberg, Wilson is on course for a personal best this year, and like his team-mate he's also trying to make the most of Petter's absence - although Wilson will be playing catch up, trying to narrow the five point gap between them.

“It’s a completely new rally so it’s going to be really exciting but with 35 stages it’s going to be a pretty challenging weekend for us," said Wilson. "We haven’t seen a rally with that many stages for a while so it’s definitely going to be different. I have done Rally Australia before, but it will be a new experience for Scott [Martin] and being in a new venue it will be a great challenge for us both as a team. From what we have heard that are some great, flowing stages, with wide, fast roads so I’m really looking forward to seeing them on the recce.”

Source: wrc.com

US Open Preview

NEW YORK, NY, USA - The biggest stars of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour will assemble in New York City this fortnight, and after Thursday's draw, they could begin colliding as early as the second and third round, especially given a pair of former world No.1s, now on the comeback from injury, are floaters in the draw. Also, the Williams sisters fell on the same side - although they can't meet until the semifinals of the year's final Grand Slam tournament.

Dinara Safina became the 19th player ever to rise to No.1 on April 20 earlier this year and has held onto it ever since. The top seed at this year's US Open, she drew arguably one of the toughest quarterfinal opponents, Jelena Jankovic. Jankovic, a former No.1 herself, reached her first Grand Slam final here one year ago and beat Safina in the pair's only meeting this season, just a few weeks ago in the final of Cincinnati, and in straight sets, no less.

Other Top 16 seeds lurking in the top quarter are No.11 seed Ana Ivanovic, who could meet Jankovic in the fourth round (Ivanovic has won six of their eight career meetings) and No.16 seed Virginie Razzano, who could meet Safina in the fourth round (Safina has won four of their six career meetings).

The second quarter of the draw is highlighted by Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova, the No.4 and No.6 seeds. Kuznetsova has a 6-4 lead in the head-to-head but their most famous match came here, as Kuznetsova beat her compatriot in the 2004 US Open final for her first Grand Slam title. She won her second major at Roland Garros this year; but Dementieva has had a better summer hardcourt season, reaching the semis or better in all three tournaments she played, including a win at the Premier-level stop in Toronto.

Lined up to meet the Russians in the fourth round are are No.9 seed Caroline Wozniacki, who could meet Kuznetsova (Kuznetsova is 2-1 against her) and No.13 seed Nadia Petrova, who could meet Dementieva (they are 7-7 lifetime).

Another name to watch out for in the second quarter is Maria Sharapova, No.1 at one point but now No.30, working her way back up the ranks after a nine-month shoulder injury lay-off that stretched from August 2008 to May 2009. Sharapova, seeded No.29, won one of her three Grand Slam titles here in 2006, and could meet Dementieva in the third round. Although she lost to Dementieva in the Toronto final last week, she keeps an 8-3 head-to-head lead on her.

The bottom half of the draw is highlighted by the Williams sisters, both former champions at the US Open and both former No.1s. Venus lies in the third quarter of the draw, and could meet No.8 seed Victoria Azarenka in the quarters (Venus is 1-0 against her). The American, a winner here in 2000 and 2001 and ranked and seeded No.3, has arguably the most dangerous floater in the draw in her section - Kim Clijsters. Clijsters, a wildcard, returned to the Tour this month after spending over two years in retirement, having her first child. The former No.1 made quarterfinals in her first two events back, Cincinnati and Toronto, and the US Open could bring out the best in her again - she did win her only Grand Slam singles title here in 2005. The other Top 16 seeds in Venus' quarter are No.12 seed Agnieszka Radwanska and No.14 seed Marion Bartoli; Clijsters could play Bartoli in the second round and Venus in the fourth.

Serena, ranked and seeded No.2 and a three-time champion here, in 1999, 2002 and 2008, has No.7 seed Vera Zvonareva as her projected quarterfinal foe. Serena's 5-1 head-to-head lead over Zvonareva is closer than it seems, as the Russian did push three of her losses to three sets. Other Top 16 seeds in the bottom quarter are No.10 seed Flavia Pennetta, who could meet Zvonareva in the fourth round, and No.15 seed Stosur, who could play Serena in the fourth round. Serena's path to the quarters could be somewhat of a revenge mission - she could face No.28 seed Sybille Bammer in the third round (Bammer just beat her in Cincinnati) and Stosur (who just beat her in Stanford).

Whether the favorites make their projected rounds or not, one thing is for sure - it may be one of the most unpredictable draws in US Open history.

Source: sonyericssonwtatour.com

Kata Comes Back in NYC

NEW YORK, NY, USA - She finished 2008 at No.20 in singles and No.4 in doubles, and was primed to climb even higher in 2009. But just as her momentum caught full steam, the injuries crept in, and now, 10 months later, Katarina Srebotnik is finally able to make a welcome return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour at the US Open.

Srebotnik had phenomenal results last season, including one final, three semifinals and four quarterfinals, as well as five Top 10 wins. She reached the second week of Roland Garros and the US Open, earning two of those Top 10 wins on those big stages (beating Serena Williams in Paris and Svetlana Kuznetsova in New York), but by the Sony Ericsson Championships at the end of the season, the pain was just too much.

"I was having pain in my Achilles in the last few months of the year but decided to treat it rather than do something drastic. It was hard to play and the treatment was taking longer than I expected. When I finished playing in Doha with Ai, I decided I wouldn't play again until it was 100% healed. I could have started 2009 normally if I took pills to take the pain away, but I really didn't want to do that."

Rather than take a complete break from the sport, Srebotnik, always the hard worker, kept herself in tune as best she could, despite the disappointment of being pushed away at her peak.

"The whole thing felt like a huge punch for me. Physically I was tired from playing so much at the end of the year, so maybe I was ready for a little break. When I couldn't go to Australia, then, it was okay. It's very far and it's hard to begin the year there.

"I wasn't used to doing nothing though, so I was doing upper body work in the gym. Maybe I did a little bit too much of it, because I injured my shoulder on one of the machines. I pulled out of Fes and Madrid because of the shoulder - the Achilles was healthy by then.

"When Roland Garros came and I had been out for so long already, I was really sad. It was hard to watch on TV. I thought it would be okay for Wimbledon - I even went to London - but then a few days before the tournament the pain came back. I didn't want to come back without being 100%, so I withdrew.

"I was always on stand-by mode. It wasn't a holiday at all. Week after week, I was told I'd be back soon, so I was practicing whatever I could practice. But those weeks turned into months. At the time I didn't know it would end up being this long, but that's probably a good thing because it would be harder for me if I knew it would end up being 10 months at the end."

One thought lingering in Srebotnik's mind throughout the lay-off was the possibility for rising higher in the rankings, given the most exceptional results from last season came during the summer and fall.

"I didn't really have anything to defend in the first half of the year - I was still No.25 this April - so I knew if I kept playing like I was, I could have gone even higher, maybe Top 15, who knows. Now I see my ranking dropping and it's going to go down even more... I've had to accept that will happen."

Another trial during the lay-off came in Srebotnik's coaching situation, in that she split with her long-time coach, making the comeback all the more difficult.

"There were three hurdles for me in those 10 months - the first two were the injuries and the third was I lost my coach after Wimbledon. She had different ambitions - she picked to travel with another team on Tour. We had many good years but in this whole situation I realized who really cares for me and who always will. The ones who stuck by me are the true friends.

"Right now I'm trying out a few coaches. I have trial periods with some of them. At the end of the year I'll make a final decision on a coach for 2010. For the US Open, I just have a sparring partner travelling with me and supporting me."

Srebotnik isn't keeping her expectations too high to start. She still has her goals and hopes to get back to her best and even higher, but doesn't want to rush it.

"It took a combination of many things to get over the injuries. The right therapy, the right rehab exercises to strengthen the muscles, taking enough time...

"For the next year or so, I'm not going to put any pressure on myself. I just want to stay healthy and enjoy my tennis. I have a frozen ranking of No.20 in singles and No.4 in doubles, so hopefully they will help me in the eight tournaments next year where I can use them. I believe I can come back. Ideally it would be better to come back at a smaller tournament, but I couldn't play any leading up to the US Open, and the atmosphere there is great. It'll pull me in. I'll still look at my first match as one match. I have to start somewhere - let it be New York!"

Srebotnik drew Nadia Petrova first round, and will take the court Monday or Tuesday. How does she feel about her game coming into her first match back?

"Right now I feel really good. I've been practicing for one month now. I'm still sore in the shoulder, which is understandable considering I hadn't practiced for 10 months, but this is bearable, and it will go away after a few weeks. I'm just excited to be back to competition. I've realized how much I miss this sport, how much I love it. When you're healthy, you don't know what you have.

"I think I speak for a lot of injured players when I say this. There are always worse things than losing a match."

Source: sonyericssonwtatour.com