Siegemund returns after knee injury

STUTTGART, Germany: After winning the Stuttgart Grand Prix title a year ago, and reaching the final in 2016, Germany’s Laura Siegemund is vowing to take it slowly as she returns following a knee ligament injury.

The 30-year-old, ranked 100th in the world, was out from late May — less than a month after lifting the Stuttgart title by beating Kristina Mladenovic in the final — until her return last month in a low-key Italian event where she reached the quarterfinals.

A wild-card entry here, Siegemund told the WTA she is not prepared to push too hard on her knee and plans a step-by-step approach.“I’m looking forward to the tournament a lot, I love the crowd and the place — I just want to show some good tennis,” said Siegemund, who will face a tough first-round test against Czech Barbora Strykova on Tuesday at the Porsche Arena.

“I have nothing to lose, I’m coming back after such a long time.”The native of nearby Filderstadt added: “I want to enjoy myself. I was not thinking about a particular tournament to return for, but of course I wanted to be ready for Stuttgart.”