Stepanek set to fly in doctor
On the Wire
Radek Stepanek is hoping his doctor will complete an emergency dash from Prague in time to help him recover from a knee injury to play his next match at Wimbledon.
The 30-year-old Czech number two sent out an SOS after hurting his knee during Saturday's 7-5 7-5 3-6 4-6 6-4 third-round win over Spaniard David Ferrer.
Stepanek considered retiring before battling on after receiving on-court treatment but admits he could be doubtful for his fourth-round match against Lleyton Hewitt on Monday. "I just called my doctor and, if he can show up right away and try to help me get ready for my match, I'll be ready to battle again," he said.
"When I hit the ball, I felt there was something wrong with the knee. When I came back to serve, my knee didn't respond, it just broke down.
"I couldn't even stand on the leg so I had to stop and call the physio. I thought, 'I'm gonna retire', but slowly the pain was leaving and I was able to play with the tape.
"It was actually very uncomfortable but I was able to play and that was for me the most important thing.
"I'm very happy that I'm in the fourth round. Getting to the second week of Wimbledon is always a nice thing and I'm going to do everything possible to win another match."
Stepanek will be hoping to make it third time lucky against Hewitt, having lost to him in both the Australian and US Opens in the past.
