Kuerten undergoes hip surgery

Gustavo Kuerten has had surgery on his right hip, the three times French Open champion said on Wednesday.

"I had the surgery yesterday late afternoon and it was a great success," he said in statement.

"I am resting now and I ask everyone to respect my quietness at this moment."

Kuerten underwent a right hip arthroscopy in Nashville, Tennessee, using the same doctor who performed a similar operation Sweden's Magnus Norman.

Norman was out for five months after the surgery, only returning to the tour two weeks ago in Chile.

Claycourt specialist Kuerten, who ended 2001 ranked world number two, has suffered a dramatic slump in form since winning the third of his French Open crowns last year.

AILING KUERTEN

Beginning with his loss to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open last September, an ailing Kuerten has lost 11 of his last 12 matches.

The Brazilian has played just two matches this season. He lost to Frenchman Julien Boutter at the Australian Open last month after leading two sets to love and last week he lost a third-set tiebreak to Agustin Calleri in the first round of Buenos Aires, where he had been the defending champion.

After that disappointment Kuerten pulled out of this week's ATP tournament in the Mexican resort of Acapulco.

There is no word yet on when Kuerten expects to return to the practice court or when he hopes to return to the ATP circuit, although his publicist Diana Gabanyi said that more information and details on the surgery would be released next week.