U.S. OPEN

September 5, 1994

Richey Reneberg

RICHEY RENEBERG: Yeah, I was playing very well. And, you know, I didn't even know -- frustrated doesn't even begin to describe it. Like I said, my whole career, I never done that well in Grand Slams; I felt I had a very good shot here to advance, possibly, you never know. I mean, being one set ahead doesn't assure you of anything, but I felt like I was playing well tonight and at 5-3 I don't remember what the score was in the game, but the point to the outside and I had hit a kick serve as the first serve and I came -- as I went up to hit it, I felt something in my inner, whatever it is left leg, and kind of a snap and then I came down and I felt it was very hard to put pressure on that leg, I thought it would just kind of go away, whatever, and it didn't. And the last two points of that game I think I kind of got my serve in easily and he missed the returns. Then I tried the second set; I felt like if he hit the ball to me, I could hit it and as long as I can just keep the pressure on my right leg, all the weight on my right leg I could hit the ball okay, but there was absolutely no way I could even -- I had no chance to win after that. Very hard to serve, push off of -- I push off my left leg, and my game pretty much revolves around footwork and speed and, you know, that was completely gone and so it was impossible to play.

RICHEY RENEBERG: First time I have had anything like it.

RICHEY RENEBERG: Something like a pulled hamstring.

RICHEY RENEBERG: It is not the groin. It is a hamstring.

RICHEY RENEBERG: It is very painful when I try and do something on it. I can sit there and I guess you know, sometimes after an injury like that, kind of blood goes to the area. I can kind of feel it on changeovers. I felt it was a little sore. Like I said, if I could keep all my pressure on my right foot, I would -- that is okay, but as soon as I have to push off on my left foot I can't.

RICHEY RENEBERG: Yeah, definitely.

RICHEY RENEBERG: They told me I can't play for like two weeks, so he'd have to wait a while.

RICHEY RENEBERG: That is what the doctor's initial --

RICHEY RENEBERG: No, I had three weeks off.

RICHEY RENEBERG: I am not going to California very much. I go back to Houston.

RICHEY RENEBERG: He was just testing my strength in the different muscles in my legs. It was in a very odd position. It looked like it was in the area of the groin, but that -- you know, all the tests he was doing with my groin were fine and then when I got in here and saw the doctor, we did a couple of hamstring tests; that is when -- that is when it. . .

RICHEY RENEBERG: No.

RICHEY RENEBERG: I remember I retired one time because of a herniated disc in my back. I mean, I think you can easily count them on one hand.

RICHEY RENEBERG: Not that I remember. You can look it up.

RICHEY RENEBERG: That was in '92.

KEVIN: Todd Snyder, U.S. Open trainer, ATP trainer.

TODD SNYDER: Richey was serving and the leg that he injured, his left leg and he injured it while landing on that leg after a serve and trying to make a change of direction at the same time placing his foot on the ground and at that time he felt the muscle actually pop and that is a good indication normally that there is a separation of the muscle tissue and that it is undetermined how much damage there is, but there definitely is some disruption of the fibers.