FRANCE: TENNIS-GRAF BACK BUT STILL WORRIED BY BACK PAIN. 15:08 GMT

Date: Feb 13, 1995

PARIS, Feb 13 (Reuter) - Former world number one Steffi Graf, who returns to competitive tennis in the Paris Open this week after a three-months break, said on Monday lingering back pain was still bothering her.

"As long as I don't have surgery I will have to live with that problem," said Graf whose last appearance was in the Masters in New York in November.

"It still troubles me but I do what I can to cope with it," said Graf who has seen Arantxa Sanchez take her number one spot.

"If I had surgery I would have to stop playing tennis for six or eight months without having the guarantee that I would be fully fit afterwards and that's why I'm not doing it," she told a press conference.

Graf, also been troubled by a calf injury, will face a strong challenge in the Paris indoor event from France's Mary Pierce who beat her in the Masters and went on to win her first grand slam title -- the Australian Open -- last month.

"Physically, I feel okay," said Graf. "The most important thing for me right now is to be fit and to play tennis without having to think about my ranking."

(c) Reuters Limited 1995. All rights reserved.