Posted on 12/02/2005 5:52:21 PM PST by beyond the sea
Women's tennis has yet another comeback tale after the announcement by Martina Hingis that she plans to return to the tour next year.
She was only 22 when foot injuries and slumping results caused her to retire early in 2003. It was a surprising, depressing end to a career that peaked very early, with Hingis becoming both the youngest No. 1 player in history and winning all five of her Grand Slam singles titles before her 19th birthday.
Now, at age 25, the Swiss woman has decided that she is fit and well-adjusted enough to plunge back into the brightly lit fishbowl of the women's circuit and try to swim with the generally younger, generally more powerful set.
"I was never happy that my injuries cut my career short and ultimately forced my decision to step away from tennis," Hingis said Tuesday in a statement. "I have enjoyed my time away from the court, a period that has allowed me to experience a different side of life. However, I miss the game and the challenge of competing at the highest level of tennis, and I want to gauge whether I can stay healthy and compete against today's top players."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Oh yes, I remember that well.
I saw McEnroe
start to do a delay with
Roscoe Tanner but
Roscoe Tanner walked
up to the net, made a fist
and offered to punch
out McEnroe's lights.
McEnroe buckled down and
played tennis. (He won!)
* Hingis Makes Comeback...Again
WASHINGTON - Martina Hingis is returning to professional tennis again.
The former top-ranked player, who retired from the WTA Tour three years ago because of an ankle injury, won five Grand Slam singles titles in her career and was the youngest player to be ranked No. 1.
The 25-year-old Swiss player made a brief comeback in February, losing in the first round of the Volvo Womens Open in Thailand. Her previous match was at Filderstadt in October 2002, but she believed she prematurely returned to competition following left ankle surgery, and withdrew from all remaining tournaments.
I was never happy that my injuries cut my career short and ultimately forced my decision to step away from tennis, Hingis said Tuesday in a statement. I have enjoyed my time away from the court. However, I miss the game and the challenge of competing at the highest level of tennis and I want to gauge whether I can stay healthy and compete against todays top players.
Hingis won 40 singles titles and 36 doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She was only 16 when she took over the top ranking in March 1997. She spent 209 of the next 247 weeks in the top spot.
LOL
Yoi........................ was it chilly on the court?
;-)
This is my favorite photo of Martina !!
Just kidding.
She is most likely not in great shape, and I still wonder about her desire. I'm afraid she is way too soft now, and the game has gotten much better since she left.
I guess we'll see.
Hingis in a hurry to confront Sharapova
There will be drama
among the women next year.
Sharapova had
a pretty bad year
last season. And drug testing *
is catching more girls.
If the big hitters
have to play without their meds,
Hingis might do well . . .
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* Bulgarian teenage star Karatantcheva in French Open doping scandal
Bulgarian teenager Sesil Karatantcheva faces a two-year ban for allegedly testing positive for steroids at this year's French Open.
The 16-year-old, ranked 39th in the world, beat Venus Williams on her way to the Roland Garros quarter-finals in her debut in the Grand Slam tournament.
The French sports daily L'Equipe said she tested positive for nandrolone and was called before a three-man International Tennis Federation doping panel in London last week.
"I am shocked. All this is some interpretation of the French, with whom I have never got along," Karatantcheva told the BGNES news agency.
The Bulgarian Tennis Federation also came out with a statement Tuesday backing its best-performing player.
"We had no information until today about any positive doping test for Sesil Karatantcheva...The federation wants to express its support for Sesil, whose excellent performances in the world's biggest tournaments have brought much joy to Bulgarian tennis fans," it said.
"We sincerely hope the French newspaper report will not be confirmed," it added.
The newspaper also claimed that the player explained her failed test on being pregnant at the time it was taken because pregnant women produce greater amounts of nandrolone. [She was 15!] Karatantcheva said she then had a miscarriage.
But a laboratory at Chatenay Malabry in France carried out a pregnancy test on the player's urine sample which returned a negative result, the paper said.
Men's singles runner-up Mariano Puerta, the world number 10, and fellow Argentine doubles specialist Mariano Hood have also allegedly failed drugs tests at the French Open.
No comment can be expected from the ITF which, like the men's governing body the ATP, does not comment on doping cases until all appeals procedures are completed.
Karatantcheva, who learnt English by listening to the Spice Girls, was uprooted from Sofia to Florida when she was 12 to learn her tennis.
She beat Williams, seeded 11th at this year's French Open, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 when she was still 15.
The Bulgarian, who speaks with a distinct American southern drawl, won the French Open junior title in 2004.
Karatantcheva endured a mixed year of results following her French Open breakthrough.
She was knocked out of Wimbledon in the second round by Maria Sharapova before going on to make the quarter-finals at San Diego.
A second round defeat by Amelie Mauresmo at the US Open was followed by failure to get beyond the round of 16 in her remaining five tournamentsof the year.
Women's tennis is great.
But I swear, for all of tennis, the game would be 100% more entertaining if they only allowed ONE SERVE......... no second serve, you have to get the first one in!
Either that, or raise the net about two inches.
Yes, go ahead ask me why. I think you know the game.
Women's tennis is great.
But I swear, for all of tennis, the game would be 100% more entertaining if they only allowed ONE SERVE......... no second serve, you have to get the first one in!
Either that, or raise the net about two inches.
Yes, go ahead ask me why. I think you know the game.
-------------------------------------------------------Pancho Gonzales was known for his fiery will to win, his cannonball serve, and his all-conquering net game, a combination so potent that the rules on the professional tour were briefly changed in the 1950s to prohibit him from advancing to the net immediately after serving. [They gave players just one serve.] He won even so, and the rules were quickly changed back.
-------------------------------------------------------
Tennis tried one serve
back when Gonzales was hot.
They discovered that
so many players
have erratic serves, no one
could have a good match.
That's amazing that they actually tried that.
They discovered that so many players have erratic serves, no one could have a good match.
I understand how that could have happened. But I still believe that if young players were brought up KNOWING that the rule of the game was "only one serve", it would be very easy (almost automatic - like today's second serves) to get that serve in....... very easy.
Because those first serves would most likely have a similar speed of today's second serves, that may cause the returner to have a little too much advantage. So, perhaps the service line could be backed up an inch or two to make it a little easier to get those first serves in as a "flatter serve", thus allowing the server to hit it a little harder.
I just would like to see mens tennis not be so dominated by the serve. It stinks watching these guys smoking those first serves, there are often very few rallies.
Mostly everyone knows that the ladies pro game is much more entertaining because of the longer rallies. That needs to come back into the men's game, imo. It could happen with rules changes, but, it will never happen, I guess.
The Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts announced a major coup today with confirmation that five-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world No.1 Martina Hingis will make her return to competitive tennis at the Gold Coast tournament.
She joins a stellar field for the event which will be held from 1 – 7 January 2006 at Royal Pines Resort.
"I'm very excited to be making my return to competitive tennis in Australia, I have always felt at home on the Australian courts," Hingis said.
"I’ve heard so many good things about the Gold Coast and the Resort of Royal Pines, I'm really looking forward to competing again and making my first trip to the Gold Coast.
"I know I'll get some tough matches and it will allow me to get used to the Australian summer coming from the European winter, both of which will be helpful with my preparation for the Australian Open," she said.
Aged only 16 years, six months, Hingis set the record for the youngest player to achieve the world No.1 ranking (on 30 March 1997) – bettering Monica Seles’ record by nine months – and held it for a total of 209 non-consecutive weeks between 1997 and 2001.
She won five Grand Slam crowns among her 40 singles titles, in addition to 36 doubles titles, and represented Switzerland in Fed Cup for three years and the Olympics in 1996. Hingis’ record in Australia is exemplary: she reached the final of the Australian Open for six successive years from 1997 – 2002 (winning three times 1997-1999) and won the Medibank Sydney International three times.
Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts Tournament Director Liz Smylie said she was thrilled that Hingis had decided to make her return at the Gold Coast event.
"Martina is a legend of women’s tennis and an unbelievable performer in Australia, making the final of the Australian Open six times," Smylie said.
"Given the amazing career that she’s already had, it’s hard to believe she’s still only 25 years old. Time’s definitely on her side and it’s an honour for the tournament to host her return to tennis."
Managing Director of Mondial Assistance, Peter Edwards, added, "As the tournament’s naming rights sponsor, we are delighted that Martina Hingis will be competing at the Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts."
"Her decision to play reinforces the reputation of high quality and professionalism delivered by this exciting tournament. We look forward to our association with such first class tennis," he said.
Tickets for the Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts are currently on sale and are available through Ticketmaster on 1300 136 122. Ticket prices range from $24 through to as little as $48 on the final day. Seven Day and four Night sessions will be held with ‘season’, ‘family’ and ‘group’ ticket options on offer. Discounts are available for aged pensioners, full-time students and U/16s.
The Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts 2006 enjoys the continued support of the Queensland Government through Queensland Events.
The Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts runs from Sunday 1 - Saturday 7 January 2006 at Royal Pines Resort.
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Other Confirmed Players (rank, player, country):
4 Maria Sharapova Russia
7 Patty Schnyder Switzerland
12 Nathalie Dechy France
13 Francesca Schiavone Italy
20 Dinara Safina Russia
23 Flavia Pennetta Italy
24 Tatiana Golovin France
29 Ai Sugiyama Japan
30 Kveta Peschke Czech Republic
34 Anabel Medina Garrigues Spain
36 Klara Koukalova Czech Republic
41 Roberta Vinci Italy
49 Nuria Llagostera Vives Spain
50 Lucie Safarova Czech Republic
51 Virginie Razzano France
54 Evgenia Linetskaya Russia
55 Iveta Benesova Czech Republic
57 Na Li China
62 Elena Bovina Russia
63 Maria Vento-Kabchi Venezuala
64 Antonella Serra Zanetti Italy
65 Karolina Sprem Croatia
66 Meghann Shaughnessy America
She most likely will lose, but............maybe not.
I didn't see it, I will have to see what the papers said the results were.
Hingis list in three.
Give her 3 months and she will be closer to back in form.
It makes sense for her to come back, she'll get 30 million a year in endorsements just to be around.
Yes I watched it. Her serve is going to kill her if she can't improve it.
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