"For a former prodigy, Hingis is one of the most well-adjusted people you can every hope to meet."

For Capriati, yeah.

My first glimpse of Hingis's "character" was during a doubles match in Scottsdale near the beginning of her career, when she kept cajoling her partner Anna Kournikova through one error after another at the beginning of the match. They settled down and hammered Lindsay D and Mary P in straight sets and had an absolute ball doing it. I don't think I've ever seen two pros playing for money having so much fun on court.

Paris Wednesday Order of Play

4:30 AM - Ferrer vs Mahut followed by Chardy vs Murray ending with Djokovic vs Dodig
5 AM - Bogomolov Jr vs Tipsarevic followed by Stakhovsky vs Troicki then comes Kohlschreiber vs Dolgopolov extended for Kunitsyn vs Isner ending with Almagro vs Seppi
10 AM - Mannarino vs Federer
11 AM - Fish vs Mayer
1:30 PM - Lopez vs Monfils
2:30 PM - Monaco vs Simon

Thanks, Pete. Very nice.

"Hingis's career can be said to have started in earnest when she won her first junior Grand Slam title, in Paris, at the record-breaking age of. . . 12."

Still amazes me. 12???

Six consecutive Australian finals isn't too shabby, either.

But you know, she could never deal with today's power players. Uh huh. :)

Just read on tennis.com that Federer will play Abu Dhabi(exo), Doha, Australian Open and Rotterdam to start 2012. Davis Cup and Dubai will be decided in the next few days.

Sounds like Fed or his agents are strongarming Dubai into giving him even more of that oil wealth as an appearance fee. After which he will regretfully announce that he can't play Davis Cup and, Stan, go take 'em out on indoor clay.

Ah, well.

**hingis will be the last of the tennis prodigys with players going to the gym and becoming stronger mid teengirls arnt on that physical level like before when if they were fully grown they could win.. hingis/graf/seles/williams/austen..also wta rules mean 15/16/17yr olds cant enter loads of tournys to save burnout, so rankings never get to high.

Pete

Thanks for a great post on Hingis.Indeed a child prodigy.I read the news she was coaching at the Mourataglou Academy in Paris.Great to see her love of the game is still strong.Will be interested to see down the track her coaching abilities with her pupils.

Djokovic saying he is still not sure if he is playing. He landed in Paris at 7pm, said he will decide after practice tonight or tomorrow.

Well, I'm certainly pleased to see Martina back in some tennis capacity. She was a great talent but the women's game has changed these days so it will be very interesting to see how she fares as a coach.

Goodness gracious me, either the guy has an injury or he doesn't. He's supposed to play tomorrow afternoon and he still hasn't decided if he can? If there's that much doubt before the first match of a tournament then he obviously should stop fooling around and not play. Saying he doesn't know at this point makes it seem rather silly and unprofessional.

Great write up Pete, but Hingis has always struck me as a very arrogant person. Her comments about Caro just showed that maturity doesn't mean growth. "Hingis swore she was innocent, but chose to retire once again rather than appeal the decision." This says it all about her "innocence." Good luck to her.

I also think that for all her "prodigy" achievements, she would never win a slam after the age of 18 when other elite players maintain their slam consistency well into their twenties.

No one was more enjoyable to watch than Hingis. Not a ball banger. Just smart, smart, smart. She anticipated the ball like no one I've ever seen. She was already there and then the ball happened to arrive so she could hit it. I've seen her in some Team Tennis matches. Still a fabo player, but not what she once was. No surprise there. I'm glad she's playing WTT and the Legends matches. I hope tennis never loses Martina Hingis.

jeanius,

I agree, she was certainly a a great pleasure to watch ... except when she was being petulant.

SamE, her comment about being a better player (I'm assuming you mean that one) was spot on. While there were similarities between them, Hingis was a head above Caro. I understand your irritation because it involves your idol, but that's the truth.

Equating Caro to Hingis is like comparing Gasquet to Federer, or Raonic to Sampras: there are similarities, but it's whole 'nother level. I do admit that Gasquet could have been next Fed (probably not anymore). Raonic can definitely be next Sampras, and yes, sweet Caro can be next Hingis, but that's all in the very fuzzy future. Potential is there, but remember how many talented players we have seen that didn't fulfill their potential.

Nothing beats watching Samantha try to find some way to tear down a player she doesn't like. :)

Hi all

Tuulia, if you're still around I've just read the comments about Borras. He was practicing with Rafa and Uncle Toni 14 months before the USO 10 and according to Rafa when he changed his own service it was an unirateral decision from him practicing with Monaco in NY.
Borras is famous to try to get credit it doesn't matter how, like we say in Spain, el es un JETA (cara dura)

in her glory days a joy to watch. partly, cause she'd openly show her own joy about playing the game.

i have my doubts whether a player of her calibre can be a great coach. what about ego? patience? having a brilliant mind won't make you a great teacher if you lack the empathy to see the world through your student's eyes. maybe the nearly-men/women are better equipped to get the best out of new talents...

but seems like she's more an advisor and part of a team in the academy so the commitment is likely quite a bit less than in a classical coaching relationship and prolly less problematic.

anyway, i wish her well, thank you for the memories and so forth.

Roger had played Dubai several times. He has the right to give other tournaments like Rotterdam to see him play. So Blue Moon, you are wrong to speculate.

While Martina had her issues, I did enjoy watching her play and got to see her at the U.S. Open in 01. I'm glad I did.

I enjoyed her comeback just to see how the other players got confused playing her and her style. It was fun to see her work the court with such understanding that the other players just don't have.

Yes, The Smiling Assassin.

In your dreams Wozz.

"...she fell one match short of becoming just the third woman (after Margaret Court and Steffi Graf) to complete a proper, calendar-year Grand Slam."

She would have been the fourth. Maureen "Little Mo" Connolly, another prodigy, won all four slams in 1953.

Pete great post on Martina. Yes she was petulant and wasn't all that PC in press conferences but she had a PERSONALITY. She was definitely my fav player in her era to watch. The way she constructed points was second to none. I am glad she has other things in her life post tennis unlike so many other professional sports people. She did some commentating in Oz a couple of years ago. Glad she has found someone who makes her happy. I wonder if her and AnnaK will play doubles in the legend. Maybe she could team up with JMac for mixed doubles. I got to watch her live when she played with Roger at HC best day of tennis I have ever had.

Regardless of her indisputable talent, my viewpoint of Hingis is forever tainted by the events of '99, namely, the Amelie Mauresmo "half a man" incident at the AO and the Steffi Graf temper tantrum at the FO. Her positive cocaine test and reputation as a "black widow" with respect to the male athletes she dated doesn't help, either. I, for one, was glad when she went back into retirement in 2007, in a way that seemed very apropos given her dastardly "charcter."

And of course I spelled "character" wrong....nevertheless, I stand by what I viewpoint. Same goes for Henin, as well, with her questionable retirements, hand raising (all at important events like Grand Slams and Fed Cup, too), and unquestionable coaching from the stands by her own personal svengali, Carlos Rodriguez.

Good riddance, I say!!

Ugh! Another typo! Curses!!!

Fine...I'll stop dissing former prodigies/talents in the women's game.

Go Del Pony!

Lovely piece, Pete, on a lovely woman. I confess to once thinking that that famous 300-megawatt smile of Hingis' was a way to disarm her opponents while ingratiating her supporters. I am so glad to find that I was wrong, that she indeed loved every minute of being a tennis player -- well, almost every minute. That smile, and her fun-loving attitude, are infectious and surely account, along with her great feel and keen tactical instincts, for why she was such a stellar doubles player.

Hi Carol, thanks for commenting. I'm definitely not taking Borras and his claims seriously, quite the contrary. There seem to be different versions of the timing of his lesson (summer 2009/summer 2010 have both been mentioned), but whenever it happened, I don't trust what he's saying unless he manages to acquire some actual credibility.

i love martina hingis...i always do, with good or bad news on her...on and off court...so many thanks to Peter Bodo for this article about her...

...and the manner in which he's going about it, credibility seems unlikely. ;)

Well, I love 'Martini' Hingis. But that's just me. ;-)) Though I share Bismarck's curiosity about wether a great player can become a good...let alone great coach. Not all, but much of what a great players does is not teachable, i don't think. Still, I do think Hingis can impart ways of thinking about tennis to her charges.

I'm glad that Ian Rashid noted that Maureen "Little Mo" Connolly was the first woman to win the Calendar Slam. According to Wiki, Connolly won the last nine Slams she entered.

One similarity between Connolly and Hingis was that their love of equestrian activities hurt their tennis careers. Connolly's career ended due to a horse-riding accident. Hingis had a horse riding accident some weeks before the Roland Garros finals that she lost to Majoli. The accident may have negatively impacted her preparations for Roland Garros that year and, ultimately, her performance in the finals.

Tuulia, I've read two weeks ego about Borras claims, of course he has been criticized for everybody and after that I've never heard more about it. Unfortunately always there are people trying to get some benefit....(money, money)

I agree 100% with your comment at 2:50 from the thread before and the one here at 6:16 pm
I don't understand to have so many injuries "now yes, now not"

Spoiled brat with no class.

Good riddance... again, until someone else who has put her up on a pedastal brings her name up... again.

well watching these ball bashers playing cookie cutter matches against each other in the WTA today ought to make any real tennis fan drool for the days of Hingis adding some divine variety to the tennis court ... screaming and hitting bullets from the baseline is not exactly a feast for the ears, or ears...

I love Martina Hingis and will always do! my fav player with Henin and JJ!

Hingis’s game was much more delicious than Wozzilla’s, which is bland and insipid like warmed cardboard.

Yes, she was a joy to watch. She had a more varied game than any of the current ball bashers, especially Caro. Martina and Caro both have charm but there the comparison ends. And Martina had an edge to her that made her more interesting - she wasn't what you'd call bland. Her era was one of the high points of women's tennis, especially compared with now.

I'm sure that if she hadn't been a bit over indulgent in her love of horse riding she'd have won that French Open final against Majoli when she was coming back from the injury caused by the fall off her horse. But she was so young she had to have other interests to keep from getting bored - I remember she went roller blading all over the place in Melbourne.

It's a pity she couldn't make her serve more of a weapon. That's what really undid her.

This is something to watch for. Can a former GS champion coach another player into a GS title? Wow. There is a huge chance here because Hingis' tactical brilliance and the muscles of these new breed of girls are tough to beat. Lucky Girls.

Yep, she is definitely the most exciting player to watch. I just love Martina Hingis. I keep watching her clips on youtube. For you haters, you guys should check it out so you can appreciate the real tennis.

I love Caro Wozniacki and hers and Radwanska's games are the closest to a Hingis game in today's army of women gladiators. But she lacks the intelligence of point construction that Hingis is famous for. Plus she doesn't go the nest very often. Hingis is just spot on.

Morning everyone. :)

I watched some of Hingis and Kournikova playing doubles at one of the Wimbledon legends things this year and they seemed to be loving it. Nice to see.

Not sure that many all-time great singles champions would make great individual coaches but I should think that Martina would be a very inspiring adviser/patron to have attached to one's academy. Naomi Broady will be catching up with Heather Watson and Laura Robson yet. :)

Sherlock

-x-

Hi Darlin',
I disagree with your statement that Hingis struggled with the power ladies. In fact, she was really able to topple them.
Against those of her generation, the head to heads are:

Seles 15-5 (Monica was never the same after 1993, doesn't really count)
Graf 2-7
Capriati 5-4
Serena 7-6
Venus 11-10
Davenport 11-14
Mauresmo 7-7

For a person of her stature and build she really dominated. Brain power was her leathal weapon - and it pad of too.

I thought that Hingis developed some physical issues (feet?) that made it that bit harder for her to compete with other, more powerful players.

jewell

Hingis had ankle trouble and surgery to me she was never the same player

Will be interesting to watch her play in the Legends at the AO 2012

Well I see Sherlock has a ardent admirer........

Hi AM! Will you be able to see her live?

Everyone admires Sherlock. :)

Jewell

The Legends tournaments usually starts in the 2nd week...so I may be able to watch her.

I still cherish my dream that one day Rafa and Roger will play Legends doubles (if not real doubles) together.

jewell,

maybe now that they have sunk into the #2 and #4 spot, it is a true possibility! if Godkovic and perpetually striving Murray take it all over, why not, no? No more sting in the rivalry.

Hey Blue moon! Thanks for all the giggles on yesterday's thread. :)

I think they will have to go further down than #2 and #4. :)

jewell

Well I believe your wish may come true before they make Legend Status

They both play expo's together for their foundations

Time for work, see you all later. :)

Tuulia

I saw that "repulsive blue" clay court in Madrid......

I believe Tiriac has gone more insane....

Anyway I always believed he built that stadium in Madrid as a "shrine to himself"....pfft.

Bye Jewell

I better have dinner before Bercy starts.

"I share Bismarck's curiosity about wether a great player can become a good...let alone great coach. Not all, but much of what a great players does is not teachable"

CL & Bismarck - i believe if she really is someone who fully loves the game, and can share THAT with others (as per mentioned by Lucky Strike at 04:58 PM) then she will be a fantastic teacher. The best teachers i had in high school, (History & English) and at TAFE (English) and Uni (Commmunity Development, Aboriginal Studies) were folk who just got so much enjoyment out of doing/ being/ talking about their *thing* you couldn't help but catch it! You wanted "in" on the good times. If she can set the spark alight, she'll do wonders i reckon.

I dont know if we post here for the matches in Bercy

Just watching Ferrer v Mahut

Ferrer won the 1st set 64

Vamos David!

Great off f/hand David

I wonder who Mahut's hairdresser is......its different

I noticed Costa the DC captain for Spain is in the stadium watching this match

Good hold David being down 2 BP....3 games all 2nd set

Unbelievable returns from David in that game and he breaks and will serve for the match 5-4

Vamos David!

Has she really missed her chance to play mixed doubles at the Olympics? It was something I was looking forward to as a federer fan, not a Hingis fan, she's a bit before my time. I can't believe someone would not even attempt to gain entry to the Olympics for what a weeks worth of tennis and she'd only be doing the doubles. I don't even know what she had to do to enter, but I think an opportunity missed.

Hi Marg!! What a strange game this is!
I have a really patchy stream. Was NM just "broken" cause he ran into the net?

Ferrer d Mahut 64,64

Vamos David!

Oh well, and ends just like that. That's all it took.
Congrats David! Comizrs Nicolas!

Jodiecate

Yes Mahut was broken and David has just served out the match winning 64,64

yes, but was he broken becoz he ran into the net? That's what it looked like from here - but i wasn't sure if he ran into it after her already lost the point?

It's funny, coz in the past i have seen him jump over the net rather than run into it, which always confused me - coz i think you lose a point for entering the other player's space as well as for touching the net - it didn't seem to make a lot of difference.

Is there any news re: Nole?

jodiecate

The only news is that Novak will test his shoulder out before his first match is scheduled and then make a final decision.

Jodiecate

No he wasnt broken cause he ran into the net

congrats Ferru, commiserations Mahut fans, another Frenchman out. MAndy saying he's never been playing this well going into Bercy in the past.

Sky showing a bit of Djokovic practicing this morning, comms saying no sign of injury, Novak confirming he's ready to go.

agree, it would have been fun to see Hingis and Fed play mixed doubles. wrt to former champions as coaches, we have the recent example of Connors coaching Roddick, although it didn't have the deisred result. Bismarck's concerns about 'ego' and 'patience' are certainly relevant to Jimbo ;)

Wow! 6-1, 6-0 great finish for Tipsarevic!!

Hmmmmmmmmm - a very temporary injury for Novak?? Lucky him!!

Do hope he's not risking himself. Anyway, his body, his choice!

H2L

Thanks for that updated news with Novak? Hmmmmm makes me wonder a bit

Jodiecate

LOL! I see we were both using Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Well Murray has his "red tee shirt" on

He must mean business..........

Commies talking about Murray winning a GS title next year

They say its "his time"...

Oh good! His time! I hope they've told him. Make it all a bit easier probly.

Hmmmmmmm.......;) well, he still has to test it in match play.

wrt to Tipsarevic, yes that's an impressive scoreline and he's been playing well of late. but seems like something's going on with Bogomolov. I didn't see the match, so I can't comment on his level, but during his first round against Bellucci he asked the ATP supervisor if he would get fined if he stopped playing. not withdraw due to injury, just stop playing. he finished the match and there was no sign of tanking, but it was odd. my comms went on about 'unprecedented' and such. I haven't seen any coverage of it, but I wonder to what extent his heart was in the match with Tipsarevic.

Carlos Bernardes in the chaise for Murray/Chardy and Judy in the maison. promise to stop.

lol, jodiecate :D

I am in love with Chardy's legs

Good to see Muzz is still "clean shaven" he must of remebered to bring his gillete shaver with him

Hi H2L! That does sound mighty strange. A sudden "lack of motivation" issue?
Happens to the best of us i expect. Scoreline definitely suggests "tank" - but for all we know, he could have found his motivation and played the game of his life & Tipsy was just better.

Someone'll turn up who watched the match maybe?

Well that was a long service game

Murray breaks or as my commies say Muzzer? that was a Robbie joke by the way

H2L: Bogomolov's son is sick that's why he wanted to stop playing.

What a way to win a point Chardy!

well, the comms' speculation was that the controversy over his Davis Cup status (Pete wrote a post on this recently) and the media criticism might be getting to him. anyway, it's not like he couldn't lose to a hot Tipsarevic with those numbers anyway. And I mean, hot, not hott.

lol, AM.

Enjoying Chardy's net play, but he's gotta cut down the errors. Murray consolidates the break.

wilson75

Thanks for that news re Bogomolov

thanks wilson75. that's terrible! I hope his son is better soon. my, you are a font of knowledge! may I ask your source for that? (I'd like to follow up to check on his son's condition)

joinining in the hmmmmmmm... :)

congrats, Ferru - sorry Nicolas, like you too

Chardy ufe are killing you

Though Murray has started out like a "house on fire"

Impressed.

H2L: Stephanie Myles and Richard Evans on Twitter.

Well, Stephanie Myles is vile and will hopefully rot in hell. I've always regretted reading her crap when I've made the mistke of doing so and I wouldn't trust her on anything.

Tuulia

Hmmmmmmmm LOL!

I feel Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm is the current "it" word around here

Allez Chardy with the "great Legs" has got on the board

Oh my Chardy what a "stuff up" at the net

Robbie informs me that is ufe no 17

Tuulia: I agree with you re. Stephanie Myles, but she said she actually listened to the conversation and heard Bogomolov saying that his son was ill. Richard Evans confirmed the story a few hours later.

I would trust Richard Evans if he confirmed the story

Murray 5-2 will serve for the 1st set in quick fashion around the 30 min mark.

wilson75 - ok, I conceed it's possible that the Myles woman gets some facts correct occasionally... pure luck, though, I'm sure ;)

Love service game and he has just lost 2 points on serve in the opening set...Murray 62 1st set

thanks, wilson75 (and Tuulia) my maternal instincts will have me worrying :)
Andy serves it out easily and Troicki took the first set from Staks (4)

Too bad about Bogie's son. That other match was weird: wanting to go home, and then winning.

Always thought Hingis was a horrific brat, testing positive for coke might be my favorite thing about her. LOL.