The shoulder injury is still troubling Myskina

Oakland: Anastasia Myskina is doubtful for the defence of her French Open title due to a nagging shoulder injury.

?I’m still optimistic, but we won’t know until the end of next week,? her coach Jens Gerlach said from Germany on Friday. ?She’s not 100 percent now and she’s receiving treatment at home in Moscow. If she can’t train the week before Roland Garros, it will be difficult for her to go there and play the way she wants to.?

Kim Clijsters, however, still hopes to play, despite straining the ligaments in her right knee, the Belgian’s web-site said.

?In the best case she can play the French Open, but she won’t play before,? the web-site said on Friday, adding that Clijsters will not be able to play at full fitness. ?She will have to limit her risk-taking and hence ultimately her ambitions.?

Clijsters underwent an MRI scan after she injured the knee while chasing down a ball on Thursday in a match at the German Open. The web-site said she will be forced to take a week off, but can play again after 12 days.

Russian Myskina pulled out of next week’s Italian Open on Friday. Earlier this week in Berlin she lost 2-6, 6-1, 4-6 to German wild card Julia Schruff and she has only reached only one semi-final this year.

?Right now it’s hard to think positive, but I’m hoping everything will turn out okay,? Myskina said by telephone from Berlin. ?I’m trying to do my best, but it’s not really working. When you lose a lot of matches, you lose confidence.?

Myskina is unable to practise serving because of her injury.

?I’m not going to find any excuses for why I’m losing right now,? Myskina added. ?I’m not losing because of my serve. I’m losing because I’m not showing my best tennis from the baseline.?

Myskina’s Fed Cup teammate Elena Dementivea said her friend was also having personal problems.

?She’s not the type of person who makes excuses for anything,? Gerlach said.

Myskina became the first Russian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title when she beat Dementieva in the 2004 French Open final.

She lost in the Olympic semi-final to eventual champion Justine Henin-Hardenne before winning a tournament in Moscow and leading her nation to the Fed Cup title.

Myskina ended 2004 ranked a career-high No. 3 and declared her intention of taking over the No. 1 ranking but after being upset by Nathalie Dechy at the Australian Open, her game went downhill.

?I had so many unforced errors against Dechy and was so bad that after that I began to lose confidence because I felt weak,? said the sixth-ranked Myskina.

?I have to work harder, but sometimes when you lose a match [like the one against Shruff] you don’t want to play. I have to learn to win the important points again.?