Keothavong to miss rest of 2009
Brit to undergo knee surgery…
Anne Keothavong has been hit by the news that she will be forced to miss the remainder of 2009 after scans confirmed she has torn both the anterior cruciate ligament and the meniscus in her left knee.
The British 25-year-old, currently just six spots off her career-best ranking at No.54 in the world singles listing, suffered the injury while playing doubles in Stanford, California, on Tuesday.
The right-hander, who was partnering Japan’s Ayumi Morita at the Bank of the West Classic at the time, badly twisted her knee while attempting to avoid a collision with a fence.
She was treated on court by a doctor, stretchered off court and underwent scans at a California hospital on Wednesday morning.
The tests confirmed the worst, that the Middlesex player will be sidelined until the beginning of the 2010 season.
“I chased down an angled drop shot and in doing so I tried to avoid a collision with the fence and ended up twisting my knee,” Keothavong told her website.
“At the time I was just focused on getting to the ball and everything happened very quickly.
“The scan confirmed what I had feared, snapped anterior cruciate ligament, meniscus tear and bruised bones to my left knee.
“I’m obviously really upset and disappointed as I’ll be out for the rest of the season but these things happen in sport.
“Exactly five years ago I did the same thing to my right knee so I know the rehab process.
“I have a good team around me and I’m sure I’ll come back as a stronger player next season.”
Keothavong will return to the UK on Friday to begin the rehabilitation process.