It hasn’t been a blockbuster year for Paradorn Srichaphan, by any means. The former top-ten player is now ranked No. 83 in the world rankings, his lowest in five years, and is no longer ever ranked No. 1 in his home country of Thailand, having been eclipsed by Danai Udomchoke.
Recent injuries have contributed to Srichaphan’s decline. A nagging wrist injury, which plagued his Indian Wells campaign just two weeks ago, also caused him to retire during his opening-round match against Luis Horna at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne.
Thai newspaper The Nation, which covers Srichaphan on and off the court in merciless detail, reports that “according to his father and mentor, Chanachai, it is time for the Thai star to take a break from the circuit and rest his injured hand. Paradorn will cancel all his clay court tournaments in the hope that he will be fit in time for the French Open at the Roland Garros in late May.”
The paper also disclosed that the Thai consulted a physician in Miami, who advised him to wear a plaster cast for two weeks to avoid possible surgery. Obviously, playing is also out of the question. Should surgery be required, the Srichaphan camp plans to cross the pond for treatment in Germany.
"After two weeks we will consult the surgeon in Germany if an operation is needed. But an operation will be our last choice as we are concerned that he might not be the same player when he returns to the court. Nicholas Kiefer is a fine example. He is not completely cured despite undergoing three operations," Chanachai told The Nation.
So how is Asian Time Magazine’s former Man of the Year going to spend his down time? Most probably the same way he did during his last layoff: with his girlfriend, 2005 Miss Universe, Natalie Glebova.
The weekend prior to the start of the Pacific Life Open, Scrichaphan wasn’t in the desert, according to reports in The Nation, but rather “was spotted inside a beauty parlor in Canada for three hours, waiting for his ‘special friend’ Miss Universe.”
The paper compares the couple’s popularity in Thailand to that of “Brangelina” stateside, reporting that “tabloids were willing to pay up to 20,000 Baht (about $627) for a private photo of [the couple].” That’s not quite in Brangelina’s league, of course, but it looks like Srichaphan continues to sell papers back home.
“A Nathalie [sic] fan posted on her website that the Thai didn't complain a bit during the marathon hair-do and managed to get out of the parlor just once to buy a few T-shirts and a suit in Donna Karan's boutique as his suitcase had gone missing,” continued The Nation.
Scrichaphan was accompanying Glebova to Canada, where she was to serve as a judge in the Miss Canada pageant.
Whether it was the wrist, lack of preparation, or a combination of both, he went out in straight sets in the opening round in Indian Wells, surrendering his semifinal appearance points from the previous year, which caused his 30-position drop when the new ATP rankings were released on Monday.