It sounds almost silly to say that Martina Hingis can be playing in legends tennis at Wimbledon. After all, the youngest-ever number one player is just 32 years old.
However in women’s tennis, 32 is old, aged, retired, almost eligible for Hall of Fame status for even the best of tennis champions.
But Hingis has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance not just in her career but in her life, even if she is playing in the legends doubles event this week at the All-England Club.
Next week she returns to the States, and to the New York area, playing World TeamTennis for the New York Sportimes at Sportime Randall’s Island.
The opener for the team, which will also list captain John McEnroe on their roster, will be Wednesday night against the Boston Lobsters. New Jersey resident Fritz Buehnig will be coaching Hingis and her teammates as they begin defense of their WTT Eastern Conference crown.
“I love being married, playing tennis, having a social life and enjoying all those things you don’t get to do when you are playing full-time,” Hingis said in a conference call on Thursday. “Playing with people like Lindsay Davenport and then mixed doubles with John is a lot of fun, and there is no better place to play than in the New York area,” she added.
During a career that saw her turn number one at 18 and win five Grand Slam titles, the Czech-born and Swiss-raised Hingis was always charming and effortless in her game.
However, the early success led to boredom, and injuries shortened a career than many thought would last a decade or more.
Comeback attempts failed, a positive cocaine test in 1997 shocked many, and it looked like another storybook tennis career would end on the rocks of a sport that loves to eat its own.
She left the game and the limelight, returning to her horses and catching up on a more normal life for someone who had lost much of her youth to the rigors of professional tennis.
The past year has seen a renaissance for a young woman who was beloved by the tennis world and popular culture when she was at the top if her game.
She started playing competitively and relatively pain free in 2010, and earlier this year teamed with Davenport to win the French Open legends doubles championship.
“It has been a great thrill to play again at the Grand Slams, and Lindsay has been a great partner since we have played with or against each other for so many years,” she added.
So the Hingis who comes to New York next week, for the first of five Sportimes home matches, will probably resemble the care free smooth hitting player of her youth, always a fan favorite and always looking for a little edge on her opponent, even in the more relaxed and always fun filled world of the Billie Jean King-created model of World TeamTennis.
Although it is sad to sometime see how fast young players come and go in tennis, it is refreshing to see a comeback, and Hingis is providing one on the courts in New York this July.
newjerseynewsroom.com
Ok, once again I hate it when journalists don't check their facts, or proof read their stuff.
Martina did not get banned in '97 (that was the year she was at the height of her career in fact).
It was after her second come back.
Having allegedly tested positive at the 2007 Wimbledon after her 3rd round defeat. She was banned by the ITF at the end of 2008.
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