14.05.2003 : Monica Seles quit during her second-round match at the Italian Open on Wednesday with a left foot injury that could force her to decide if she wants to keep playing tennis.

She stopped in the second set against Russia's Nadia Petrova but still hopes to play in the French Open, which starts May 26.

Seles missed several tournaments this year because of her foot problem. She described the injury as the preliminary stages of a stress fracture. The 29-year-old player is not planning on surgery, fearing a long layoff.

``If it can get better, I'll take a little bit more time off,'' she said. ``If it's not, then I have to make a decision to stop.''

Seles, seeded 10th, lost the first set 6-3 in this $1.3 million clay-court tuneup for the French Open. She was down 4-1 in the second when she signaled during the changeover she was done.

``I can wake up three days from now and it can be nothing,'' Seles said. ``It very much comes and goes. I will try to do everything possible at least to try to play the French.''

On Tuesday, Seles rallied to beat 46th-ranked Myriam Casanova and then pulled out of doubles. Against Petrova, Seles did not attempt to run down several shots.

14.05.2003 : Monica Seles pulled out of her second-round match at the Italian Open on Wednesday because of a lingering foot injury.

Seles was using this $1.3 million tournament as a key clay-court tuneup for the French Open, which starts May 26. She said she will still attempt to play in Paris.

Seles, seeded 10th, had lost the first set to Nadia Petrova 6-3 and was down 4-1 in the second against the Russian when she signaled on the changeover that she had had enough.

Seles missed several tournaments earlier this year because of her injured left foot.

On Tuesday, she rallied for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory against 46th-ranked Myriam Casanova and then pulled out of doubles because of her injury.

Facing Petrova, Seles lost her serve in the first game of the match and then again early in the second set. She did not attempt to run down several of Petrova's shots.

Williams, the defending champion at the clay-court tournament, had her serve broken twice in the first set but still managed to beat Czech qualifier Klara Koukalova 6-4, 6-3.

Seles, meanwhile, had to rally for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory against 46th-ranked Myriam Casanova.

The 10th-seeded Seles appeared stunned by Casanova's powerful strokes in the first set, then mounted a comeback.

"She just came out and was hitting the ball very hard," Seles said. "It took me awhile to adjust to that."

Seles, the Italian Open champion in 1990 and 2000, received constant encouragement from the Foro Italico crowd. After the match, a group of fans clad in U.S. flags presented the nationalized American with a dozen red roses.

"I've really got some amazing fans here," Seles said. "They've been with me since 1990."

Casanova, a Swiss player making her Rome debut, came up with a string of aces and winners in the first set. But as the match wore on, Seles began to win longer rallies.