<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> June 22, 2003 -- She's being called the "Slovakian Skeleton" and officials fear for the health of Daniela Hantuchova as the Wimbledon tennis tournament starts in London tomorrow.
The waif-like 20-year- old is the ninth seed, but she may be one of the most-watched players amid widespread speculation she is suffering from anorexia.
The official tour biography of the 5-foot-11 Slovakian lists her as 123 pounds - but she is thought to be considerably lighter after a recent dramatic weight loss.
Hantuchova says her bony frame is a result of too much exercise. "I was working really hard before this season because I wanted to be as prepared as possible. I just burned more calories than I put into my body," she told a British newspaper.
Hantuchova's coach, Nigel Sears, agreed his star player has lost weight "alarmingly quickly," but insisted that she was fit and strong with no health problems.
But Michael Mewshaw, who wrote "Ladies of the Court," a behind-the- scenes look at the women's tour, was horrified by Hantuchova's emaciated frame when she turned up in London last week to begin practice.
"I fear this Wimbledon hopeful may be the latest victim of the horrendous physical excesses demanded by the women's [tennis] circuit," Mewshaw said.
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Man, she was a major hottie just a few months ago...Wtf???
