LIVERPOOL, England (AP) _ A severe dog bite forced Bjorn Borg to
pull out of his first grass-court match in 26 years.
The five-time Wimbledon champion was bitten on his right leg by a
German shepherd called The Wolf when he tried to pull the dog away
from his golden retriever, Lipton, at his home in Sweden over the
weekend.
Borg, who received medical treatment at a Stockholm hospital, was
told not to put any weight on the leg for at least six weeks.
He had been scheduled to play 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash at
the Liverpool International tournament this week. It would have been
his first grass-court match since losing to John McEnroe in the 1981
Wimbledon final.
``I'm so disappointed that I cannot play at Liverpool,'' Borg
said on the tournament's website. ``I've been really looking forward
to this event and have been practising hard for four months to get
ready.''
Borg, who is still expected to attend the event as a spectator,
was replaced by former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek in the
tournament, which is backed by Liverpool City Council and held in
Calderstones Park.
