Three-time French Open champion Gustavo
Kuerten has dismissed reports he will retire from professional
tennis.
The 29-year-old Brazilian scheduled a press conference for next
week ``to make an announcement,'' prompting speculation that he
would officially put an end to his professional career.
The player's press office was quick to deny any possibility of
retirement, however, saying Saturday that he will only talk about
his recovery from a chronic hip injury that has kept him from
playing in the past several months.
``He's definitely not retiring, there's no truth to that,''
Kuerten's spokeswoman Diana Gabanyi said.
Kuerten played only one singles match this year, being eliminated
by Andre Ghem in the first round of the Brasil Open in February. He
had four doubles matches, winning three of them.
The Brazilian spent several weeks nursing the hip injury at a
clinic in the United States earlier this year, missing Brazil's
Davis Cup win over Ecuador in April.