Sabine Lisicki

Sabine Lisicki out of Fed Cup and Stuttgart

From her facebook page:

"Hey everyone...saw the doctors in Germany today and got some disappointing news. Unfortunately I won’t be able to play Fed Cup and Stuttgart because of the ankle injury I sustained against Serena in Charleston. This is obviously very disappointing as I love representing my country and playing in Germany. I will keep you posted on the progress."

Sabine Lisicki withdraws from Sydney due to abdominal strain suffered in Auckland.

Maybe someday she'll get to do this at Wimbledon :)
http://www.wtatennis.com/javaImages/51/91/0,,12781~9736529,00.jpg

Sabine will also be gluten free from now on:

BIRMINGHAM, England - The sight of a tearful Sabine Lisicki being carried off court on a stretcher was one of the more dramatic images to emerge from the recent French Open. Having held a match point at 5-2 in the final set of her second round match against world No.3 Vera Zvonareva, qualifier Lisicki was hit by dizziness and cramps, and ultimately lost the match.

But the big-serving 21-year-old German is back to her bubbly self at the AEGON Classic this week, and no wonder. In the space of less than three months she has vaulted more than 120 spots up the rankings, making a psychologically important return to the Top 100 last Monday. And having beaten 2009 champion Magdalena Rybarikova in Friday's quarterfinals at the Edgbaston Priory Club, she's now through to her first WTA semi since Luxembourg in 2009.

"You know, it was really sad," said Lisicki of her Parisian travails. "But on the other hand it was also a very good tournament for me - and a very good match against Vera. Unfortunately I had the problems, but they are problems that are going to go away because we know the reason for it. So that's the most important thing for me. I knew I played well… it was just unlucky."

The source of the problems to which she refers is a recently-diagnosed intolerance to gluten, a fundamental component of wheat-based products such as bread and pasta - staples of any diet, and especially important sources of energy for an elite athlete. Any food product containing gluten is now strictly off the menu.

"My body needs to adjust to the big change," she said. "I've been told it will take a year - apparently it takes women longer than men. It definitely makes things harder… in Paris I couldn't understand why I felt so unwell, and then I realized there was flour in the sauces I was eating."

In any case, after a few days' rest at home, Lisicki was ready to launch her assault on grass - a surface that has provided some of the best moments of her career so far.

Sabine after losing match vs. Goerges

"I gave it my all but there was nothing else I could do. That extra bit of energy was missing. It's a shame," Lisicki stated after the match. "I'm definitely a little proud of myself I got so far at such a big tournament. I gave it 100%. I feel my confidence coming back - I made a giant leap forward here in Stuttgart."

Shortly afterwards, former No.22 Sabine Lisicki, who is now No.155 in the world after an ankle injury-marred 2010, became the second German into the final eight, upsetting No.6 seed Li Na, 64 75. She only hit one ace (she had 14 in her first round match) but she did show steely nerves, including rallying from 3-5 in the second set to close the Chinese No.1 out in straights.

"When I was No.22, I felt the pressure of being the seeded player who was expected to get through at least two rounds at the bigger tournaments," Lisicki said. "Now after my injury and being No.155, the pressure has disappeared. I'm playing better than my ranking would suggest. And the crowd was sensational!"

Germany's Sabine Lisicki served notice she is on her way back up the world rankings on Tuesday, beating Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets in their first round, 75 76(2), firing a whopping 14 aces too.

Lisicki, who went as high as No.22 in 2009 but is now ranked No.155 after an ankle injury-marred 2010, has been showing some strong results again the last few tournaments, reaching the third round of Miami and Charleston. On Tuesday she was sharp again against the No.27-ranked Cibulkova, battling for over two hours and hitting just four double faults to the aforementioned 14 aces.

Next for Lisicki will be No.6 seed Li Na, who snapped out of a five-match losing streak in her first round match on Monday.

Two years ago, a 19-year-old Sabine Lisicki had a dream run to her first WTA title at the Family Circle Cup, beating the likes of Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki along the way. She had to miss her title defense last year due to a left ankle injury, but on Tuesday, in her first match back in Charleston, she was able to keep that winning streak going.

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Lisicki, who reached a career-high No.22 later that year but is now down at No.182 due to her injury-marred 2010, got by Renata Voracova on Stadium court, winning nine of 12 games from 36 33 to beat the Czech, 36 64 62.

After the match, she was asked how it felt to be back here. "Amazing. I came a couple of days ago and practiced on the center court, and all the memories came back right away. It was so amazing, and to have so many people here, especially after this terrible morning with lots of rain and chilly weather."

The German, now 21, recapped the struggles she overcame last year. "I twisted my ankle at Indian Wells, and after that I tried to come back but the injury was too bad, and I was on crutches for six weeks. I basically had to learn to walk again. The whole process was so, so hard. I never went through something like that. That's why this match means so much to me, after all I went through."

Lisicki's Yorkshire Terrier, Happy, has also been around the grounds, as the German has been leaving him with the doggie daycare. "The ladies are taking good care of him," she said. "I love Happy, and he definitely is a happy dog. It's great to have both my parents and my dog here, so the entire family is here."

Just three days after Twittering that she was "looking forward" to the plane trip to Portoroz for her return to the tour, Lisicki has now withdrawn from next week's Slovenian hard court event citing a left ankle injury.

Biggest drop in this week's rankings is Lisicki who falls 39 spots to #79. She is due back in Portoroz from a lengthy injury layoff.