Elbow Injury Sidelines No. 1 Rios

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

April 17, 1998 / 7:19 PM EDT / CBS Sportsline

Battling a lingering elbow problem, world No. 1 Marcelo Rios will be sidelined indefinitely, his father said Friday.

"There is no estimate on how long he will have to remain without playing," Jorge Rios said at a news conference.

Earlier, Jorge Rios told a Santiago television channel his son could be sidelined as long as six months. He said the remark was misinterpreted.

"At this point, he's been ordered to rest for another week," he said.

Rios has pulled out of the Monte Carlo Open, which begins Monday. It is not clear if he will miss the next Grand Slam -- the French Open.

The injury will cost Rios the No. 1 ranking he won by defeating Andre Agassi at Key Biscayne, Fla., three weeks ago. Rios, the Monte Carlo defending champion, has 504 points to defend. Pete Sampras has none.

Sampras and Australian Open champion Petr Korda each have a chance at overtaking Rios for the top spot, depending on points accumulated at Monte Carlo. Sampras, who trails Rios by only 45 points in this week's ATP rankings, has been sidelined with a shoulder injury since a third-round loss at the Lipton. Korda, who defeated Rios in the Australian Open final, is currently 202 points behind the Chilean.

Rios' injury cropped up near the end of the 1997 season and a month of therapy brought it under control. When he began playing in the United States this year, where the tournament balls are generally lighter, he experienced no problems.

But his coach, Larry Stefanki, said the problem resurfaced when Rios played Davis Cup tennis for Chile against Brazil two weeks ago. Stefanki said the balls were"as heavy as grapefruits" and aggravated the injury. Rios was forced to leave the tie, which Argentina won 4-1.

With so many points to defend at Monte Carlo, Rios could drop as low as No. 4.

"I feel the situation is complicated, much more so than we thought, because this a chronic problem," Rios' father, Jorge, told Santiago television Channel 13.

The father said his 22-year-old son, a left-hander, will not need surgery because"the problem is a swelling of the area that must recede gradually, as long as he does not make any effort."

Jorge Rios said his son tried to practice today in Miami but again felt pain in his elbow. He said his son was supposed to undergo a new battery of tests Friday.