Mauresmo, who can finish the year as the top-ranked player if she wins in Madrid, withdrew from the Zurich Open last week because of the injury.

``I'm better, but I'll start playing at the end of this weekend,'' Mauresmo said Tuesday. ``Next week I'll be able to practise so I can be 100 per cent for Madrid.''

The Frenchwoman leads Justine Henin-Hardenne in the WTA rankings by 268 points, and Maria Sharapova by 404. But many of her current points _ including those earned at last year's WTA Championship _ are close to expiring.

``Maria's in great shape,'' Mauresmo said. ``Justine _ if she's fit to play _ will be tough to beat, so it's quite an open tournament and any player could win it.''

The top eight players in the WTA rankings qualify for the season-ending championship. Last year, Mauresmo beat fellow Frenchwoman Mary Pierce in a marathon final, a victory she called a turning point in her career.

``Winning in Los Angeles last year was very important to me. I found something new and finally proved to myself that I could win the big ones,'' Mauresmo said. ``I just suddenly had a click and said to myself I had to do this. I'm 26 now and after a let down in the months before it, I really pushed myself.''

This year, Mauresmo won the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles.

``The Grand Slam titles and the championships are more important than finishing No. 1 in my mind,'' Mauresmo said. ``Winning this tournament is more important than finishing No. 1, but maybe if I finish No. 1, maybe it will become an emotional thing then.''

The WTA Championships run Nov. 7-12.