Seles Says She Will Play Again : Tennis: In the wake of stabbing incident, the top-ranked player gives no date for her return but says she just wants to get back and have fun.

Monica Seles said at a news conference Wednesday in Vail, Colo., that she is not going to give up tennis as a result of being stabbed in the back by a spectator at a tournament in Germany.

“I love this game too much,” said Seles, who was making her first public comments about the incident last Friday in Hamburg. “I’m a strong person, mentally and on the court, too. I just want to get back, hit the ball, have fun and go forward with my life. Physically and mentally, it will take a while. I’ll do the best I can, as I have done up until now.”

Seles is not sure how long she will be unable to play. Her No. 1 ranking may be at stake if she is unable to play in the French Open, Wimbledon or the U.S. Open, all scheduled in the next four months.

“I am taking it day by day,” Seles told the Associated Press. “For me, the big thing is to recover my arm. I don’t want to look too forward.”

Seles seemed relaxed at the news conference at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic, where she arrived Sunday night for treatment of her wound. Seles, a left-hander, sat with her left arm motionless at her side. Richard Steadman, the doctor who is treating Seles, said she suffered a soft tissue injury to her back. He didn’t reveal the depth of the wound.

“It was deep enough to affect the muscles that rotate the shoulder,” Steadman said. “Her range of motion has improved in the last few days.”

Steadman would not speculate on how long Seles’ recovery would take. He said the injury would affect mostly the muscles involved in her serving and overhead shots. “Muscles should heal,” he said. “She’s a great healer. My anticipation is she can get to the same level as before.”

The incident occurred when Seles was resting during a changeover. A 38-year-old German factory worker leaned out of the stands and plunged a knife between Seles’ shoulder blades.

“I was leaning forward and felt something in my back,” she said. “Something went in. I saw blood. I turned back and saw a guy with a knife. I didn’t know what was going on or how bad I was hurt.”