Victory was precious but hardly painless for Kimiko Date Krumm on Tuesday at the French Open. Deep in the third set with her right calf becoming stiffer, she winced between points, limped toward her chair during the changeovers and gingerly stretched her leg. It is no small challenge for a woman to win against the younger set when she is on the verge of 40; even more challenging after taking a 12-year break from the tour to run marathons and do television commentary. But Krumm, who retired in 1996, has proved that she belongs at this level after returning to the tour in earnest last season. She has proved it on multiple continents and multiple surfaces, and on Tuesday she made one of her loudest statements yet by soldiering on and surprising Dinara Safina, the former world No. 1 from Russia. “Many times I was thinking, better to retire or not?” Krumm said of her calf problem. “Because it’s still many tournaments coming and the next Grand Slam coming very soon.” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/sports/tennis/26iht-ARENA.html?src=mv
