ROME (AP) — Third-ranked Dinara Safina says she no longer has back pain when she plays, but can’t train off the court like she used to.
Speaking at the Italian Open on Monday, the defending champion said her tennis game is unaffected but “in conditioning, I am not allowed to do any more jumps or do anything that causes me a lot of pressure on the spine.”
The former top-ranked player lost to Shahar Peer in the quarterfinals of last week’s Porsche Grand Prix, her first tournament since retiring from the Australian Open in January with a lower back injury.
Her first opponent at the Foro Italico will be Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania.
