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5/30/2009 12:00:00 AM
James LaRosa's French Open Blog
Q&A with SAM STOSUR
Two years ago Sam Stosur was the #1 doubles player in the world and held a singles ranking high of 27. Then viral meningitis struck, and the Aussie who many believed was bound for the top ten would have a new battle on her hands. One she couldn't serve her way out of.
JL: When did you first know something was wrong?
SS: Wimbledon ['07]. I wasn't too good then. I took 6 or 7 weeks off till New Haven. Played there, played [the US Open]. I knew something wasn't right but no test would come back saying anything. All the doctors kinda said, if you feel okay, then start training and eventually get back into it so that's what I did. Then the second Friday of [that] US Open I went to hospital, and then three days later went to hospital in Tampa with viral meningitis. About 4, 5 weeks later they finally worked out I had Lyme disease. So it was quite a long process to work out exactly what was wrong.
JL: How long were you out for in total?
SS: About 9 months.
JL: How did that feel? You had all this momentum in singles, you were at the top of the doubles world…
SS: It wasn't good. And Lisa [Raymond, her former doubles partner] and I made the Championships and everything and we couldn't go. It really just sucked basically.
JL: What were you doing all this time?
SS: I literally didn't do anything. I laid on my back and watched TV. And slept. Playing tennis was a long way off.
JL: How do you come back from that? You're watching ranking points slip away, all your hard work is being undone…
SS: I'd stay positive. I knew I'd be back. I just didn't know when.
JL: Or how. And when you did come back...?
SS: [I] didn't do overly well to begin with. But as the weeks went on, we made the finals of Wimbledon. So it took a little bit of time to get back in the swing of things and for me to start playing again really.
And playing she is. Stosur had never taken a set off #4 seed Elena Dementieva, including at the Aussie's home Slam earlier this year. But, after the biggest win of her career, Stosur is finally back on track. And with Virginie Razzano up next, a player she beat in their only prior encounter, that track could take her to her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.
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