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Together again With mother in tow, Hingis rolls to easy victory
PARIS (Reuters) -- Sometimes you just need your Mum. Less than two months after severing their sporting ties, world number one Martina Hingis is back with her coaching mother Melanie Molitor at the French Open in her quest for the one Grand Slam tennis title that has eluded her. "Right now it's important to me that my Mum is here," Hingis said on Tuesday after a straight-sets, first-round victory over Gala Leon Garcia of Spain on the red clay of Roland Garros. "I think it's just to my advantage. Sometimes you can't think of everything by yourself." Hingis, 20, branched out alone in early April, declaring she wanted to take more responsibility for a career nurtured by her mother from the day she first touched a tennis racket at the tender age of two. They practiced together at home in Switzerland after Hingis lost to Amelie Mauresmo of France in this month's Italian Open semifinal and traveled together to Paris, where Hingis is the top seed. "She's the best coach I could ever have," Hingis said. "I know with her it's going to take me further than alone." Further indeed. Hingis, named by her mother after Martina Navratilova, has won every major title in women's tennis with the exception of the French Open and more than $16 million in prize money. Her professional return to her mother, and to Molitor's companion Mario Widmer, who has handled some of her business affairs, comes at a time when Hingis' form and future are under scrutiny. Though still number one in the world according to the Women's Tennis Association computer rankings, she has not claimed a Grand Slam singles title since the 1999 Australian Open. This season has been a virtual drought. "Anyone can go out there and beat you today," Hingis said of the competition in a sport where some say she may be on the path to decline while only just out of her teens. "If you're not ready, if you're not 100 percent, especially in the Grand Slams, you're just not going to walk through any more." Mauresmo, the much-fancied home favorite, and second seed Venus Williams of the United States both discovered that truth on Monday when they suffered upset first-round defeats at Roland Garros. Their exit, and the injury-induced absences of defending champion Mary Pierce, Lindsay Davenport and Monica Seles, can only make life easier for Hingis in Paris. She lost in the 1999 final to Steffi Graf, when her nerve went over a disputed line call, and fell victim to Pierce in the semifinal last year. "If this'll be my year, I'll take it," Hingis said on Tuesday after dismissing Leon Garcia 6-1 6-0 in just 58 minutes. Hingis lost the first game -- on her own serve -- but then settled into the match and fought for every point. "I was actually very surprised, because I felt very comfortable going out there today," Hingis said. "For me right now, there's nothing I have to worry about. "If I go out there, play my game, they have to beat me."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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