Posted on 01/09/2006 7:15:01 AM PST by theFIRMbss
Martina Hingis' hopes of once again dominating women's tennis received a reality check when world number eight Justine Henin-Hardenne dumped her out of the Sydney International first round in straight sets.
Former number one Henin-Hardenne barely raised a sweat as she disposed of her childhood idol 6-3, 6-3 in just over an hour.
Five-time grand slam winner Hingis admitted she was outclassed by Henin-Hardenne in her toughest test since beginning her comeback campaign this month following a three-year layoff due to injury.
"She was at a different level today," a downcast Hingis told reporters after her defeat on Monday.
Admitting a return to the number one ranking was "thinking too far ahead right now", Hingis said Henin-Hardenne had showed her what she needed to do in order to mix it again with top 10 players.
"She was always a little faster, a little quicker, and the big points she won, and that's the difference," the 25-year-old Swiss said.
Hingis appeared to have lost some of her trademark speed covering the court and allowed Henin-Hardenne to dominate the match from the baseline. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
"she disposed of her childhood idol 6-3, 6-3 in just over an hour."
Wow - that's a pure a$$-whoopin' by tennis standards!! An hour!?
Henin not a better player: Hingis
By Patrick Miles
09jan06
THE first significant test for Martina Hingis in her return to the WTA Tour comes at Sydney Olympic Park today when she takes on another former world No.1, Justine Henin-Hardenne, in the first round of the Sydney International.
The first test of her diplomatic skills, which she has had the past three years to hone during television commentary, charity work and exhibition matches, came yesterday when she was invited to draw comparisons between her game and that of the Belgian.
"I have a two-handed backhand and she's got one hand, so that's one thing," Hingis said through her trademark broad grin.
"She's more physical than I was, she's faster, but I wouldn't necessarily say that she has a better game.
"We both have our strengths and weaknesses.
"It's going to be a good match for both of us."
As ripostes go, it would barely rate a ripple anywhere but in the sanitised world of tennis, where head-to-head criticism is a rarity.
It is not yet apparent whether Hingis can match her previous best on the court but there is no doubt about her ability to shoot from the hip, even if it is sore from her exertions on the Gold Coast last week.
Faced with the fourth match of her comeback, after more than three years on the sidelines due to a variety of foot and ankle injuries, Hingis was relaxed about her duel with Henin-Hardenne, the fifth seed.
"I think I have a winning record against her so I'll try to keep it," Hingis said.
"Sooner or later, I have to play a top-10 player, and better sooner rather than later.
"We've both won here in the past; we both like this tournament."
As Hingis pointed out, Henin-Hardenne has not played a tour match since late last season.
"I have nothing to lose against Justine - I know her quite well; I've played her in the past," Hingis said. "It's been a while but ...
"You can't hide, you just take the challenge. She hasn't played for a while either. This year, I definitely have more matches than her."
Hingis has a proud history of producing remarks off-the-cuff that serve to upset her opponents.
Whether this is her intention is open to speculation; her controversial comments are invariably delivered with a healthy dose of humour.
But the fact remains that she can always be relied upon to antagonise not only her fellow players but their relatives and entourages as well.
At Melbourne Park in 1999, she described Amelie Mauresmo, her opponent in the final, as "half a man" and the following year, she aroused disquiet in the US when she said that the Williams sisters attracted more sponsorship in their home country because they were black.
But the majority of the tennis world, if not Richard Williams, is welcoming her return to the fray.
Kim Clijsters, the top seed in Sydney, is one who is happy to see the Swiss back on court.
Clijsters, who said yesterday she was sticking by her plan to retire after another two years on the circuit, will be one of many interested onlookers today.
"I think it's great," Belgian Clijsters said of Hingis' attempt at a comeback.
"It's great to see her back. She's a great girl and she's a lot of fun in the locker-room. She always has good stories to tell.
"It seems she is stronger than before, and that was definitely something where she felt, when she retired, that she needed to work on that." ...
Henin has zero body fat, and although small, is tough and muscled. That's now a requirement in the women's game, and that will be the biggest obstacle to Hingis's comeback. She's just not at that level of strength and quickness.
A two-handed backhand makes it even harder, as you have to make more steps to the ball to execute the shot and then recover back to the middle.
Did Hingis dump her mom as her coach? That also seemed to be a big factor that held her back. I am glad she is back, it will take some time to get back in peak shape and hitting the pace of the ball. It hopefully will make for a fun season.
I've looked all around
and I can't find any news
on who's coaching her.
But her manager
is still Mario Widmer, *
her mother's boy friend. [!]
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* 25-year-old former No. 1 Martina Hingis says she will make a tour comeback in 2006: "I was never happy that my injuries cut my career short and ultimately forced my decision to step away from tennis. 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 today's top players." Her manager Mario Widmer told Reuters: "Martina has been thinking about a return throughout this year and made the decision gradually after seeing how much stronger her tennis was becoming. We haven't yet decided how many tournaments she will play, and she is certainly not setting any targets in terms of titles or world ranking places because she first has to see how her feet react."
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"However, Mario Widmer, (Martina's mother's companion who acts as Martina's personal manager) has been quoted as saying that speculation about Martina's retirement was "not only premature at the present moment but also completely exaggerated.""
In earlier threads,
Freepers have speculated
that since drug testing
seems to have improved
(and coincidentally [!?]
many big hitters
have had awful years
or even taken time off),
Martina might think
without their steroids,
she'll be able to groundstroke
big hitters to death . . .
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