Graf Returns To Action

Her knee sound and her spirits upbeat, Steffi Graf returned to competitive tennis after a 100-day layoff in which she was dethroned by Martina Hingis as the game’s No. 1 player.

Even though her return, a first-round doubles match on the opening day of the German Open in Berlin, ended in defeat, the seven-time Wimbledon winner clearly was where she wanted to be.

“The moment I stood on the court and hit the first ball in training was unbelievably wonderful,” she said. “I knew the reason why I’ve worked these months.”

Graf is to face Chanda Rubin today in her first singles match. She is seeking her 10th title in Berlin against a field featuring 16 of the world’s top 20 female players.

Thomas Muster, long considered the king of clay, admitted he no longer feels driven to dominate on a surface generally disliked by the game’s marquee names.

“You can’t expect me to win every clay court tournament,” Muster said after a 6-3, 6-2 win in Rome over Italian wild card Marzio Martelli to begin his bid for a record third consecutive Italian Open title. “Maybe it’s a motivation problem.”

Also advancing on the opening day of the $2.3 million tournament was No. 5 seed Richard Krajicek, who lost to Muster in last year’s Italian final. The big Dutchman beat another Italian wild card, Diego Nargiso, 7-5, 6-3.