Why Bother?

Anastasia Myskina had such fun after her foot surgery she wondered why she came back to play.

"I had a great life,'' Myskina said after losing to Meghann Shaughnessy 6-1, 6-0. "I don't know why I'm here.''

She looked hampered in her movement, and could not chase down shots against her American opponent.

THE 25-YEAR-OLD RUSSIAN had a novel explanation for her lack of mobility. "You can see that I'm moving like a big cow now,'' Myskina said. "I can't push, you know, from my foot, from the left foot like I used to. I can't run.''

Myskina, the 2004 French Open champion, hurt her left toe in August last year playing in Stockholm, Sweden. She had surgery on her foot on January 15.

When she got back to Moscow, she stayed away from the courts and tried other things. "I had a soccer show on television. I have no idea about soccer, but now I'm kind of into that,'' Myskina said, adding that she was also "commentating (on) tennis.'' It gave her a glimpse of how life could be in the future.

"I HAD THE GREAT LIFE these (past) five months in Moscow,'' Myskina said. "So I know how it's going to be after tennis. And it's fine with me.''

Players have been sympathetic about her injury _ but she's not sure if it's totally sincere.

"All of them smile to me,'' Myskina said. "So it's nice. But you never know what they say behind your back.''