-
Hingis will be missed for grace, subtle skills
By TOM TEBBUTT
UPDATED AT 7:13 AM EST Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2003
She was the most guileless, down-to-Earth No. 1 player in modern tennis.
In 1997, Martina Hingis, at 16, became the youngest No. 1 in history, capping a rise that first came into focus when she won the 1993 French Open (under-18) junior title as a 12-year-old.
At the 1997 U.S. Open, the world's top-ranked player could be seen dawdling alone through the players' lounge, greeting all and sundry as though she were just some chirpy kid from the qualifying event.
She had already become the youngest Grand Slam champion of the 20th (and 21st) century by beating Mary Pierce in the 1997 Australian Open final.
Hingis would go on to reach the French Open final and win both the Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles that year.
A fall from her horse, which led to knee surgery on April 21, may well have prevented 1997 Grand Slam perfection.
She did not play before the French Open and ended up losing the final there to Iva Majoli after a draining 6-7, 7-5, 6-4 first career victory over Monica Seles in the semi-finals.
With her exceptional court coverage and consistent groundstrokes, the French Open was the most logical Grand Slam title for her to win. Instead, it wound up as the only one missing among the total of five in her portfolio.
She was snake-bitten in Paris, losing in 1998 to purposeful Seles, who was playing with an other-worldly fury only weeks after her father died, and then to Steffi Graf in a 1999 final unforgettable for her emotional meltdown after she crossed the net to dispute a baseline call while comfortably ahead 6-4, 2-0.
On that inglorious afternoon, she was petulant, unsporting and embarrassing. But she was also only 18.
Little did anyone know then that she would never again win a Grand Slam title, unless she makes what now appears to be a highly unlikely return to the sport.
There were the occasional growing pains, but her basic good-natured personality emerged. Quite simply, she matured -- witness her admirable composure after losing a heartbreaker Australian Open final to Jennifer Capriati last year after holding four match points.
She possessed abilities that took tennis into a new realm. Instead of raw power, she used more subtle skills -- anticipation, deception and instinctive placement -- to outplay opponents.
The great Chris Evert once declared that 5-foot-7, 130-pound Hingis was thinking two or three shots ahead of her opposition.
That may have been true, but when the "Big Babes" (Venus and Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati et al), as commentator Mary Carillo aptly dubs them, matured, Hingis had less time to methodically implement her creative strategies. The ball was coming too hard and fast.
Venus has now won six of their past eight matches, Serena six of the past nine, Davenport eight of the past 11 and Capriati the past four.
Hingis has made it known that continuing foot problems would make her return to tennis "unforeseeable."
She has reaffirmed her intentions recently, saying to the Swiss-German publication Blick: "Health comes before everything. It's more sensible that I stop. I've had another chat with my doctors and I've been told that I can no longer play tennis."
Although already fluent in English, she has enrolled in classes at home in Switzerland to improve it.
At the 1999 Canadian Open (now the Rogers AT&T Cup) in Montreal, Hingis, who speaks Czech and German, said she would not use her imperfect French in public until the Sunday final.
After winning against Serena Williams, who had to retire with a foot injury, Hingis launched into competent French at the presentation ceremony, delighting the appreciative Jarry Park patrons.
The ingenuity and charm she showed that day will surely serve her well in whatever the future holds for her.
Few players have the natural tennis grace and fluidity Hingis possessed. Only Justine Henin-Hardenne, to some extent, and Roger Federer and Marcelo Rios come to mind.
It will be very sad to no longer be able to observe Hingis's ease of execution on court and her effervescence away from it.
ttebbutt@globeandmail.ca
-
I was reading my latest tennis times mag from the USTA and it has a full page ad in it featuring Martina, I found it odd because it was a racquet ad and said "Even the best want more", I found this strange and sad because Martina is out and not going to play again but the ad say's she is the best and wants more from her equipment. Did Yonex understand how this would look when Martina is not even trying to come back and play. She looks so good in the ad but we all know what has happened, Martina has given up. Strange you have one Martina finished at 22 years old and another Martina still playing at 46 and winning. All this at a time when I am playing with an ankle and tendon problem in my right foot but I am 40 and pain is just part of tennis for me, I accept it as how a 40 year old feels when doing such a sport. I was never number 1 so I am happy if I can get one win in a tournament, Martina is not coming back because she can not deal with not being No 1. That is a spoiled attitude but then she looks a little spoiled and that is fine, she could have cut back and played only doubles if she still likes the game. But Martina is more than just retired she is mentally weak right now and can not handle the fact that she is not number 1. The truth is that even if her foot was okay she would still not be number 1. That time has passed, so what is going on is she is retiring because she is no longer the best and the injury is a great reason to hide behind. Just a thought from an old tennis player that loves the game and Martina.
-
<font color='#000F22'>ad campaigns are planned months beforehand frank.
