Rumours of another Martina Hingis WTA comeback continue

Martina Hingis is growing ever close to a return to the top level of women’s tennis, but the 32-year-old former No. 1 player isn’t quite sure what will happen when she returns to the WTA tour.

Hingis just led the Washington Kastles to the championship of the World Team Tennis league, also taking home female MVP honors for the second straight season. But after being off the WTA tour for the last six years, Hingis said she isn’t sure where her path will take her.

“I can’t tell,” she said when asked about where she expects to go next. “I hope it goes well.”

Martina Hingis has announced plans to return to the WTA tour to play doubles with Daniela Hantuchova at a string of events leading up to the U.S. Open in early September. Hingis said she’s been working on her comeback for the last five years, but until now didn’t have the courage to jump back onto the top women’s circuit.

While there will undoubtedly be pressure on the former top women’s player in the world, Hingis has already proven herself. Earlier this month she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island, with a career’s worth of accomplishments in a short time as a pro.

Hingis won her first major title, a Wimbledon win in doubles, when she was just 15 years old. 

A few months later she won her first Grand Slam singles title, and in all won five Grand Slam singles titles and 10 major doubles titles.

But Martina Hingis said accomplishing so much by such a young age was a double-edged sword.

“When you’re 16, 17, 18, you’re like, ‘This is cool,’ right? You want to experience the other side of the world and life, too.. . . So many things that you’re invited to, events you can go to. You meet some amazing people and see unbelievable places,” Hingis said. “Sometimes it’s hard to just stay focused on what you have to do.”

Though she’s been away from the WTA tour, Martina Hingis hasn’t been avoiding good competition. In a World Team Tennis set she faced 19-year-old Eugenie Bouchard, who is ranked No. 55 in the world. Hingis won the set, 5-1.

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/876698/martina-hingis-ready-for-wta-comeback-but-unsure-how-shell-fare/#7m9E890AysvdTP1j.99

Interesting that the press keeps on reporting Martina planning a full comeback to the WTA Tour. Boy, wouldn't that be something.

With the way the youngsters play these days she could have a decent shot (crossing fingers hoping this happens) even for a short while.

The WTA tour still desperately needs a boost in my opinion. 

Roger Federer could miss Rogers Cup due to back problems

Roger Federer has revealed that he could miss the upcoming Rogers Cup in Montreal as he struggles with an ongoing back problem.

The 31-year-old recently suffered his third-straight defeat to a player ranked outside the world's top 50 when he lost in the first round of the Swiss Open to Daniel Brands.

"I've had serious problems with the back; I had to get some anti-inflammatories last week in Hamburg due to the pain," Tennis.com quotes the world number five as saying.

"I will have to do a lot of exercises and see how it all feels. My main priority now is to fix my back. I would love to be able to train at 100%.

"I'll have to see if the rehab is enough to let me play in Montreal. If it is, I'll go; if not, then it gives me another week."

The Rogers Cup gets underway on August 5.

sportsmole.co.uk

Damn, and I was really looking forward to watching him play, but I would rather he was 100% for the U.S. Open.

Martina Hingis professional return to doubles play sparks speculation on return to singles

Tennis Channel analyst Lindsay Davenport, who won the Wimbledon Ladies' Invitation doubles with Martina Hingis earlier this month, says Hingis is planning a full-fledged singles return this fall.

Davenport says that the Swiss’ decision to play five WTA doubles tournaments this summer — at least two with Daniela Hantuchova, including the U.S. Open — is "just a way to get her feet wet" before coming back in singles again.

It would be the 32-year-old Hingis' second comeback in singles. Another Tennis Channel analyst, Rennae Staubbs, said much the same on the NCR tennis radio podcast.

But Hingis’ camp denied anything was imminent, with a source telling TENNIS.com that at this point, anything having to do with her return in singles is “pure and total speculation.”

tennis.com

Martina Hingis continues to succeed with Kastles World Team Tennis

MANCHESTER — Martina Hingis has been a Hall of Famer a little over a week now, and last night she showed just how dynamic of a player she is to the game of tennis. Hingis, the marquee player for her team, finished with three wins last night, leading the Washington Kastles in women’s singles, mixed doubles and women’s doubles.

Hingis recorded 13 points, which helped the Kastles get by the host Boston Lobsters, 19-18 in Mylan World Team Tennis action at Joan Norton Tennis Center at the Manchester Athletic Club.

“We’re at that stage as a team, that we’ve played together for quite some time now,” said Hingis. “We’re getting better and better each match and starting to figure each other out. It’s working and it’s the best time for us to peak towards the end of the season.”

The Kastles are the first team to qualify for Mylan WTT post-season action and clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Hingis, who is playing her sixth season of WTT, was named female MVP last season with the New York Sportimes and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame earlier this month.

“It’s a great feeling to be there on the podium,” Hingis said of the honor. “It’s amazing to be part of such an elite group of tennis players. The whole experience has just been great, I’ve been saying that over and over again for the past 10 days.”

The superstar talent has won five Grand Slam singles titles in her career and nine Grand Slam doubles titles. A natural for the sport, Hingis made her professional debut at the age of 14 and became the youngest Grand Slam champion of all time, when she teamed with Helena Suková at Wimbledon to win the women’s doubles title at age 15.

Hingis was most definitely on her game last night, defeating the Lobsters’ Jill Craybas 5-2 in women’s singles. She also paired with teammate Anastasia Rodionova, as the duo swept Craybas and Katalin Marosi 5-0 in women’s doubles.

The Lobsters’ (4-7) Amir Weintraub won the first match of the evening, topping Bobby Reynolds, 5-4 in men’s singles, while Weintraub and partner Eric Butorac dominated at men’s doubles, 5-2.

The match of the night came down to mixed doubles. Butorac/Marosi and Hingis/Frederik Nielsen went head to head to determine the night’s winner. Though the Kastles were up heading into the match 16-12, Butorac, who is a doubles master, and Marosi won the match 5-2— which meant it would head into overtime.

Butorac and Marosi once again took the match to tie the score at 18 all. In the end it was Hingis and Nielsen who came out on top, as they won the super tie breaker 7-3.

“It was nerve-racking playing that last set,” explained Hingis. “We clicked in the tie breaker, which was just good timing.”

thesalemnews.com

Martina Hingis Hall of Fame acceptance speech

Martina Hingis enjoys her new found status as Hall of Fame inductee

MANCHESTER — As she calls it, “the princess treatment” fits Martina Hingis just fine. Since her induction to the International Tennis Hall of Fame this month, her place among the royalty in the sport has even more muscle than before.

“Hall of Famer! In the morning I’m like, ‘Murphy, you’ve got to get me some coffee. I’m a Hall of Famer!’ ” Hingis said, referring to Washington Kastles coach Murphy Jensen.

Before last night’s Mylan World TeamTennis match between her Kastles and the Boston Lobsters at the Manchester Athletic Club, Hingis talked about both her induction and her season.

Hingis, 32, won five Grand Slam singles titles on the WTA Tour and spent time atop the rankings as the world’s best female player, but said getting into the Hall of Fame so quickly was a surprise.

“The nomination was last year so I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I got nominated,’ but I didn’t really think I’d get inducted already because it’s a minimum of five years (after you retire to be eligible),” Hingis said. “Usually people have to wait; they get nominated but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they get inducted right away. So I thought, ‘Yeah, nice,’ but I didn’t really think much of it. Then they called me in Australia during the Australian Open almost at the end of February and they said, ‘You’re in,’ and I was like, ‘Wow, cool.’ ”

And being a Hall of Famer for Hingis has been as cool as she dreamed it would be.

“It was great, amazing feeling to be a part of such a great group of people. It’s a great honor to be a part of the Hall of Fame in any sport,” she said. “At halftime, they showed the video (of the induction) in Washington. They gave me a present when we went to Dallas. It’s been even greater after the Hall of Fame, it’s like the appreciation was there. It was amazing. That felt pretty good.”

Hingis, who is in her sixth WTT season and first with the Kastles, recently announced she will come out of retirement to play doubles on the WTA Tour, but enjoys the different aspects of the WTT experience.

“It’s great. The format, it’s perfect for me, right, especially for the older players,” she said. “You feel like I still got some skills and I hope the people enjoy it to come out here and see some of the game I still got in me. I still try to prepare well and play well, and so far it’s been going well this season.

“It’s nice to be on such a great team,” she added, referencing the Kastles’ 34-match winning streak, which ended this season after setting a record for professional team winning streaks. “Getting the winning streak was big and being the No. 1 team in the league so far, it’s a great group of people: Bobby (Reynolds), obviously, he’s been on the team for four years. I secretly tried to beat them all the time (Hingis was with the New York Sportimes last year), but if you can’t beat them, join them.”

The intimate settings around the league are a far cry from Centre Court at Wimbledon, but Hingis likes that aspect, as well.

“It is more familiar,” she said. “They’re small crowds, but it’s loud and there’s music and just the whole format is great. With team tennis, the colors, the court, the music, it’s great.”

Last night, Hingis lived up to her billing as she earned a 5-2 win over Jill Craybas of the Lobsters in women’s singles and combined for a 5-0 victory in women’s doubles with Anastasia Rodionova. However, in a mixed doubles set with Frederik Nielsen, Eric Butorac and Katalin Marosi rallied the Lobsters with a 5-2 win to force overtime. Hingis and Nielsen, though, pulled together a win in the ensuing super-tiebreaker to preserve a 19-18 overtime victory.

In other words, Hingis did quite enough for Jensen to fetch her another coffee in the morning.

- See more at: 

http://bostonherald.com/sports/other/tennis/2013/07/martina_hingis_enjoys_status_since_tennis_induction#sthash.nJxhIlbC.dpuf

Martina Hingis doubles comeback keeps expanding this time to Toronto & U.S. Open

Tennis: The formerly retired Martina Hingis will not only play doubles at previously announced tournaments in Carlsbad and New Haven, but also plans to play doubles in Toronto, Cincinnati and the U.S. Open, Yonex announced on its web site.

Hingis, a former world No. 1 in singles and doubles, plays with a Yonex racquet.

The 32-year-old Swiss, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame earlier this month, will play in Carlsbad with Daniela Hantuchova, but she has yet to announce whether she will play with the Slovak at the other four tournaments, or play with different partners.

tennisworldusa.org

Martina Hingis adds New Haven to her doubles comeback

Former top-ranked player Martina Hingis is coming to Connecticut to compete in the doubles bracket at the New Haven Open.

Hingis, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport last weekend, is set to begin her comeback on the doubles circuit next week in the Southern California Open in Carlsbad. She is scheduled to team with Daniela Hantuchova in California, but her partner for New Haven has not been announced.

Her appearance in California will be Hingis' first WTA tournament competition since September 2007. Hingis, 32, won 43 WTA singles titles, including five Grand Slam events, and was the No. 1 player in the world for 209 weeks. She won the 1997 Australian Open when she was 16.

As a double players, she won 37 tour events and nine Grand Slam tournaments. She also rose to No. 1 in the doubles rankings for 35 weeks.

Hingis has made one previous appearance in New Haven. She reached the quarterfinals as a singles player in 2002.

"I am looking forward to coming back to the New Haven Open to compete in doubles," Hingis said in a statement. "I feel in good shape at the moment after playing World Team Tennis [this summer]. My competitive spirit is still very much alive and I love being out on the court."

Hingis' most recent World Team Tennis match was Wednesday night, when she played singles and mixed doubles for Washington against Springfield in Washington.

"Adding newly minted Tennis Hall of Famer Martina Hingis to the New Haven Open at Yale doubles field is fantastic news, and will complement a very strong singles field featuring five of the top 10 players in the world," tournament director Anne Worcester said in a statement. "I can remember when Lindsay Davenport returned to play doubles in New Haven after she'd stepped away from the tour when her first child was born. Our fans came out in droves to support her, and I know they will do the same for Martina."

The New Haven Open is Aug. 16-24 at the Connecticut Tennis Center.

thecourant.com

Roger Federer loses in the semis in Hamburg

Roger Federer loses to Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis in Hamburg semifinals

In a further sign of his decline, Roger Federer lost to Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4) in the semifinals of the German Tennis Championships on Saturday.

Federer, a four-time champion in Hamburg, was outplayed by the No. 114-ranked left-hander who advanced to his first career final.

"He played well, he was a little more aggressive," Federer said.

Federer took a wild card for Hamburg after losing in the second round at Wimbledon.

The 31-year-old Swiss ace has dropped to No. 5, his lowest ranking in a decade. He has won one title this year, on grass in Halle, Germany, before Wimbledon.

Federer lost to No. 116 Sergiy Stakhovsky — a player who failed to qualify for Hamburg — as the defending Wimbledon champion.

It was his earliest Grand Slam defeat in 10 years, and his first loss to a player ranked outside the top 100 since 2005.

Federer changed his racket after Wimbledon, going for a bigger frame. But he struggled in Hamburg, going to three sets in two of his previous three matches.

Delbonis will play Fabio Fognini of Italy, who moved within one win of his second title in two weeks when he beat third-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain 6-4, 7-6 (1).

Delbonis was playing only the second semifinal of his career but maintained his composure and gave Federer, the 17-time Grand Slam champ, only two break points, one of which he saved.

Federer broke for a 2-1 lead but was broken right back and had to save two set points to force the tiebreaker. He squandered a 4-2 lead, was unable to convert his one set point and saved three with service winners before Delbonis converted his fourth with a smash after some well-played points.

Federer came under pressure immediately in the second set and had to fend off three break points in his opening service game and another in the sixth. Delbonis saved one break point in the next game with a superb volley winner.

In the tiebreaker, Federer made two straight groundstroke errors and he netted a forehand on Delbonis' first match point.

Delbonis will jump to a career-high ranking of around No. 59, according to the ATP.

Fognini won his first career title in Stuttgart last week and is riding a nine-match winning streak.

"I feel incredible," Fognini said.

It was the Italian's 24th win on clay this season. Fognini is the second Italian to reach the final in Hamburg after Adriano Panatta lost to Manuel Orantes in 1972.

Almagro is second in career clay-court titles among active players with 12. Rafael Nadal has 42.

cbcsports.ca

Ok enough with the decline comments, the man was on top for over 10 years he's allowed to go through rough patches every few years.

Roger Federer in the semis of Hamburg Open

HAMBURG, Germany -- Top-seeded Roger Federer was taken to the limit on Friday before coming through for a 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-5 victory over Florian Mayer and a place in the semifinals of the German Tennis Championships.

Federer is playing his first tournament since losing in the second round of Wimbledon.

A four-time champion on the clay courts of Hamburg, Federer needed two hours to overcome Mayer. Federer was down 5-1 in the second set, won the next two games but then faltered again. 

He double-faulted and then produced two straight forehand errors to give up the set.

In the third, Federer broke serve twice, only to see the German re-break both times. But with the match on the line, the Swiss former No. 1 raised his game considerably. 

He broke serve with the loss of a point for a 6-5 lead and served out the match at love, hitting a service winner on match point.

He next plays Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis, who upset 14th-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-7 (5), 7-6 (8), 6-4 to make the semifinals of a tournament for the second time in his career.

Fabio Fognini of Italy beat Tommy Haas for the second time in two weeks to also advance to the semifinals.

Fognini prevailed 6-2, 6-4 over the second-seeded home favourite. The 12th-seeded Italian is looking for his second straight title after winning his first tournament in Stuttgart, where he beat Haas in the quarterfinals.

Fognini next faces third-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain, who came from behind to beat defending champion Juan Monaco of Argentina 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.

The fifth-seeded Monaco beat Almagro in the Hamburg semifinals last year. Almagro was runner-up in Hamburg two years ago, while Monaco beat Haas for the title last year.

Delbonis' previous semifinal appearance was two years ago, also on clay and also in Germany, in Stuttgart.

After fending off a pair of match points in the second set, Delbonis failed to serve out the match at 5-3. He then wasted two match points on Verdasco's serve before the Spaniard double-faulted on the third.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/roger-federer-beats-florian-mayer-places-in-hamburg-semifinals-1.1374762#ixzz2ZiwjO9Zn

Martina Hingis talks World Team Tennis Washington Kastles

World TeamTennis: Martina Hingis Interview July... by worldteamtennis

Roger Federer satisfied with racquet change after a win at German Open in Hamburg

Roger Federer debuted his new racquet, with a larger 98 square-inch frame, on Wednesday in a three-sets win over Daniel Brands at the bet-at-home Open - German Tennis Championships.

“I’m pleased how it’s playing,” he said after the match. “I kind of knew it from practice, so it wasn’t like just jumping into the water, but I'm very happy that under match conditions I was feeling comfortable with it. I’m satisfied.”

Federer used the extra time following his early exit at Wimbledon to make the switch from the 90 square-inch racquet head he’s been using for more than a decade. 

“I’ve been very close on numerous occasions to change racquets in a bigger way,” he said. “But then very often, time was the issue. Maybe also just the records of Grand Slams - I was always keeping on playing quarters and semis - so then it was also a bit more difficult to change it because of the time. 

“This time around, all of a sudden I just had the extra 10 days, two weeks I was looking for, and I really was very serious about it. Wilson flew to Switzerland and we went through the whole process and I was very happy how things went over there.”

While he did not elaborate on the specific changes, Federer called it a “different type of racquet”, sharing that Wilson has been working on the prototype for many years. 

“I’ve been testing racquets, in a way, for my whole career,” said the 31 year old. “I’ve had changes to my old racquet in the last sort of 10, 11 years ever since I changed here actually in 2002 from the 85 to the 90. We’ve always been in close contact and I know they’ve been always working on things. 

“After I lost at Wimbledon, I thought this is a good time to go and test the racquets, to take a bit of time off and then add some tournaments and see was there enough time to change or not. I'm happy I did the change and now we'll see how it goes. So far, so good.”

atpworldtour.com

Roger Federer into the quarters at German Open in Hamburg

Top-seeded Roger Federer cruised past Czech qualifier Jan Hajek 6-4, 6-3 to reach the German Tennis Championships quarterfinals on Thursday.

The four-time Hamburg champion is playing his first tournament since losing in the second round of Wimbledon.

Federer used only three of 13 break points and needed six match points to close out the match. He did it with his seventh ace, shortly after producing a spectacular overhead smash winner with a flick of the wrist while stepping back in the final game.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion needed five set points to end the first set, finally earning it when Hajek netted a forehand.

Federer has dropped to No. 5, his lowest ranking in a decade. He will next play either Florian Mayer of Germany or Feliciano Lopez of Spain.

Second-seeded Tommy Haas also advanced by beating Carlos Berlocq of Argentina 6-2, 6-4.

The German led 5-2 in the second set but dropped serve. He then wasted two match points on Berlocq’s serve before using his fourth to close out the second-round encounter, hitting a cross-court forehand winner. Berlocq won his maiden title in Bastad, Sweden, last week.

Juan Monaco, the fifth-seeded Argentine who beat Haas for the Hamburg title last year, defeated ninth-seeded Benoit Paire of France 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.

Haas next plays Fabio Fognini of Italy, who beat Marcel Granollers of Spain 6-2, 6-4. Fognini won his first title last week in Stuttgart and beat Haas in the quarterfinals.

Monaco plays third-seeded Nicolas Almagro, who beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-3.

Fourth-seeded Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz of Poland was forced to retire with a right arm injury, allowing 14th-seeded Fernando Verdasco to advance. The Spaniard, who was leading 7-5, 4-0, will next play Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis, who beat Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 6-4, 6-3.

theglobeandmail

Roger Federer changes his Wilson racquet from 90 to 98 square inches

Roger Federer told reporters that he will try a new, larger racket at the German Tennis Championships this week.

The 31-year-old Federer said he plans to play a Wilson racket with a 98-square-inch head after years of using one with a 90-square-inch head. The 17-time Grand Slam champion faces Daniel Brands in his opening-round match on Wednesday in Hamburg.

Federer has been using a 90-square-inch head for more than a decade — a very small frame for a top pro. Though Wilson rebranded his racket numerous times over the years, the head size never changed. By comparison, Andy Murray plays with a 98-square-inch head and Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic both use 100-square-inch heads.

Some tennis commentators have suggested for a while that Federer should upgrade his racket size to give himself more margin for error with the larger sweet spot, more power and more spin. He told The New York Times in 2011 that he wasn’t inherently opposed to the idea.

“I’ve tried bigger,” Federer he said. “The problem is we don’t have enough time to do racket testing, you know? I’m always talking to Wilson about: ‘What else do you have? What else can we test?’ And who knows? Maybe down the road, I’ll change again.”

Before Wimbledon this year, Federer said he experimented with different strings during exhibitions at the end of 2012.

“I’ve been in close contact always with Wilson,” he said in an interview with good friend Ivan Ljubicic. “Just listening to the new technology they have, because I feel like it’s a wrong philosophy just to say, ‘My thing’s the best, there’s nothing better, and that’s the only thing that can work.’ And I actually was really close to playing with a different racket, just one tournament to see, at the end of the year in the exhibitions in South America. I played with a different string just to see how that was going to react. So I’m constantly testing and trying out.”

The racket change comes amid a subpar season by Federer’s lofty standards. Federer, who is set to play his 10th tournament of the year, has made one Grand Slam semifinal (Australian Open), reached two tour finals and won one title (Halle, Germany). His record quarterfinal streak at majors ended at 36 when he lost to 116th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round of Wimbledon. As a result, the Swiss fell to No. 5 last week for the first time since June 2003.

After his loss at Wimbledon, Federer said he wasn’t planning any midseason changes to his routine.

“Just got to reassess at the end of the season,” Federer said. “If you do it during, there’s got to be a good reason for it.”

A week later, he announced he was adding clay-court tournaments in Hamburg and Bastad, Switzlerand, to his schedule. And now comes this equipment change.

Pete Sampras, who stuck with an 85-square-inch Wilson head throughout his career, admitted in 2010 that he regretted being so stubborn about new technology and embracing equipment changes.

“I would have tried some technology. I really would have — especially for the clay,” Sampras said.“[B]ut I was closed-minded and mentally felt like this was the only racket I could play with. Listen, when you’re in it, you just believe in what sort of got you there. But I wish I was little more open-minded to it. I remember at the time, talking to a few different ex-players about trying something, I was so against it.”

tennis.si.com

Very interesting strategic move, very curious to see how well it'll work for him at the Grand Slams (can't wait to actually see him play with it & spot differences if any).

Gotta give Roger credit he's certainly not afraid of innovation, or trying new things in order to improve.  

Tennis Hall of Fame, Class of 2013: Martina Hingis

Roger Federer wins first match since Wimbledon loss in Hamburg

HAMBURG, Germany -- Roger Federer rallied to beat Daniel Brands 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 Wednesday at the German Tennis Championships in his first match since his second-round loss at Wimbledon last month.

Using a bigger racket for the first time, Federer served three aces in the opening game but still lost his serve and ultimately the set to the German. The former No. 1 broke once in the second set and twice in the decider to reach the third round.

The 17-time major champion is a four-time winner in Hamburg, the city where he won his first title in 2002 to break into the top 10.

After losing at Wimbledon to Sergiy Stakhovsky -- who failed to qualify for the main draw in Hamburg -- Federer dropped to No. 5 in the rankings, the first time in a decade that he's been that low.

Brands, who celebrated his 26th birthday Wednesday and received a cake after the match, got few presents from the top-seeded Federer in the last two sets. However, the Swiss star needed four match points to close it out. He finished with nine aces on the clay-court surface.

"It was a tough match. Daniel is playing a very good season," Federer said.

Federer will play qualifier Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic, who beat 15th-seeded Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

Tommy Haas outlasted qualifier Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the third round.

The second-seeded Haas blew a 4-1 lead in the third set but held serve and broke to clinch the match when Kavcic sent a forehand long.

"At the end, it's the victory that counts," Haas said.

Haas was runner-up in the tournament last year and is the oldest player in the top 100 at 35. He is looking for his second title at home this season, after winning in Munich.

Fourth-seeded Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, a Wimbledon semifinalist, prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4) over Robin Haase of the Netherlands.

Defending champion Juan Monaco of Argentina, seeded fifth, beat Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4.

Four other seeded players lost -- No. 6 Andreas Seppi, No. 10 Tommy Robredo, No. 13 Mikhail Youzhny and No. 16 Martin Klizan.

No. 11 Feliciano Lopez, No. 12 Fabio Fognini and No. 14 Fernando Verdasco advanced.

espn.go.com

Martina Hingis to make a comeback to professional tennis in doubles!

CARLSBAD, CA, USA - Martina Hingis, who was just inducted into the International Tennis Hall Of Fame in Newport over the weekend, has accepted a wildcard into the doubles draw of the Southern California Open in Carlsbad, scheduled for July 27 to August 4 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.

Hingis will begin her doubles comeback partnering Daniela Hantuchova at the Premier-level event.

"I am very much looking forward to making a return to competitive play at the Southern California Open," Hingis said. "I remember winning the singles and doubles here in 1997 and winning the singles again in 1999. This has always been one of my favorite events to play. I feel in good shape at the moment after playing World Team Tennis. My competitive spirit is still very much alive and I love being out on court. The tournament at Onmi La Costa Resort & Spa is the perfect place for me to start."

Hingis, a nine-time Grand Slam champion and former No.1 in doubles, played her last three doubles events with Hantuchova, at Miami, Los Angeles and the US Open in 2007. She also has big success in Carlsbad, sweeping the singles and doubles in 1997 and winning the singles one more time in 1999.

"We are honored to have such a great champion choose to make the Southern California Open her first tournament back on tour," said Tournament Director Alastair Garland. "Having just been inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame, it will be a true treat for the fans to enjoy watching Martina play doubles."

In addition to playing doubles, Hingis will spend time during the Southern California Open in Carlsbad promoting her new signature tennis collection - Tonic by Martina Hingis. The new clothing line from Tonic Lifestyle Apparel is the Official Clothing Partner of the Southern California Open.

wtatennis.com

Roger Federer hopes playing more tournaments will help boost his confidence for U.S. Open

Roger Federer admitted on Monday that he is pleased to be competing again at the bet-at-home Open – German Tennis Championships, where he is a four-time former titlist.

Federer, who lost to Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round at The Championships, admitted, “I think this decision was made very quickly the day after Wimbledon. 

“I thought, what are my options now? Do I need more practice? Do I need more matches? What does my heart say? I really wanted to play some more matches.”

Federer decided to compete in Hamburg for the first time since 2008. 

“I first entered into the Top 10 [of the Emirates ATP Rankings] at Hamburg in 2002,” recalled Federer. “That is something that can never be taken away from Hamburg or me. It was one of my dreams. I have always enjoyed coming back here, winning here. I have had milestone victories here and also times when I have learnt a lot.

“Right now I just want to win a lot of matches, hopefully win a couple of tournaments and then sort of build confidence and go from there into the hard courts.” 

The Swiss took a short holiday following his Wimbledon exit and, although he did not watch Andy Murray’s historic triumph, he did send the World No. 2 a congratulatory text message.

“I didn’t see anything but I did send him a message. I was happy for him. I think he’s been very consistent for a long time. Last year, was a huge year for him winning the [London] Olympics, making the Wimbledon final and winning the US Open. I thought after missing Paris to come back and win Wimbledon it was amazing.” 

This week in Hamburg, Federer opens his campaign against Daniel Brands. He has a 29-4 tournament record.

atpworldtour.com

Martina Hingis 2013 Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee

NEWPORT, R.I. -- Martina Hingis' tennis life started right from birth and her days playing with a racket began barely after she learned to walk.

It was only fitting that she became one of the youngest players to be enshrined into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Hingis led a large 2013 class that was inducted Saturday during an on-court ceremony that lasted just over 90 minutes, including a 25-minute rain delay on Newport's grass courts.

Born in Czechoslovakia before moving to Switzerland at a young age, Hingis was named after a women's tennis great.

"My biggest influence was my mom because she was a professional player, too," Hingis said during a news conference before the ceremony. "She started me when I was 2 years old. Another was Martina Navratilova, obviously -- (my mom) gave me the name so that was the destiny that was programed already. When I started playing at 2 years old, that was the path."

After the rain delay, Hingis, dressed in a purple sleeveless dress with her hair still soaked, told the crowd: "Thank you, tennis. You gave me the world, and now I honestly am out of words, because there are no words to explain what I feel. You chose to give me a place here for eternity."

Hingis is the fourth youngest to be inducted -- behind Tracy Austin (30), Bjorn Borg (31) and Hana Mandlikova (32).

The 32-year-old Hingis burst onto the professional scene when she was 14. Two years later, she won three of the four major tournaments, taking the titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open in 1997.

The memories were great. The pictures of a thin teenager, well, she'll pass on those.

"I just don't want to look at the photos," she said, breaking into a laugh.

In her career, Hingis won five Grand Slam singles championships -- including three straight at the Australian Open from 1997-99 -- and 43 singles titles overall. She also was a part of 37 doubles titles.

Hingis, often troubled by foot injuries, retired for a second time in 2007, when she drew a two-year suspension for testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon. Hingis denied taking the drug but did not appeal the ruling.

Stan Smith, currently the president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, called her "one of the most complete players."

Also enshrined were 94-year-old Australian great Thelma Coyne Long, inducted in the master player category, and industry leaders Ion Tiriac, Cliff Drysdale and Charlie Pasarell. Rod Laver accepted for Long. Six other were inducted in the masters category posthumously.

Tiriac, who managed the careers of Boris Becker, Guillermo Vilas and Goran Ivanisevic, marveled at how Hingis' small frame didn't affect her ability to dominate on the court.

"One of the most intelligent players -- men and women -- on the tennis court," he said. "She could not match the big girls, but she did with her head what others did with their swings."

He later joked that he was watching her "since she was 11."

Smith, a 1987 Hall of Famer, enjoyed seeing her compete against the more powerful players.

"She was able to think her way through matches at 14," he said.

When mistakenly introduced as the youngest ever to be inducted into the Hall during the news conference, Hingis didn't hesitate before responding, "I think that's a great thing why I started so early."

espn.go.com (be sure to check out the link for a video from the ceremony)

Tennis Channel to broadcast Martina Hingis induction into International Tennis Hall of Fame this weekend

Tennis Channel will offer live coverage as former teen phenomenon Martina Hingis is inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame Saturday, July 13, at 12:30 p.m. ET. The ceremony will take place on the historic grass-court stadium at the Hall's grounds in Newport, R.I., and include the inductions of Australian Thelma Coyne Long, a three-time Australian Open champion, and three other honorees. 

The celebration will showcase speeches by the new Hall of Famers and friends or family members that they have personally chosen to introduce them. The event typically sells out, with 4,000 fans in the stands and another 300 watching a live simulcast in the Hall of Fame theatre.

Former world number one Swiss singles player Hingis, who was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" in 2011 by Timemagazine, made her professional tennis debut at the age of 14, when she became the youngest player to win a match at a Grand Slam tournament when she advanced to the second round of the Australian Open in 1995. 

In 1996, she became the youngest Grand Slam champion of all time when she teamed with Helena Suková of the Czech Republic at Wimbledon to win the women's doubles title at the age of 15. In 1997, she became the undisputed world number one women's tennis player and topped the rankings for 209 weeks. Hingis has won five major singles championships—three at the Australian Open (1997, 1998, 1999), Wimbledon (1997) and the US Open (1997)—and was a two-time French Open finalist (1998, 2000).

Thelma Coyne Long played competitively from 1935 to 1958 with a majority of her success taking place in her native Australia. She won both the women's singles title and doubles title with Nancye Wynne Bolton at the Australian Open in 1952, captured the tournament's singles title again in 1954 and was a runner-up in the event four other times.

This Saturday's International Tennis Hall of Fame inductions will also include South African-born Cliff Drysdale, a former top-ranked player of the 1960s and 1970s who helped form the ATP in 1972 and served as its first president. 

After the conclusion of his playing career he has been one of the most respected television analysts with ESPN. In addition to Drysdale, number one tennis player Charlie Pasarell will be inducted for his historic efforts in building the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which is home to the BNP Paribas Open. 

Rounding out the class of 2013 is Ion Tiriac, a former Romanian tennis player and prominent European tournament director of the Mutua Madrid Open. In addition to the induction ceremony, Tennis Channel is in Newport this weekend for live coverage of the Hall of Fame quarterfinals, semifinals and championship.

longislandtennismagazine.com

Sadly living in Canada I don't have this channel hoping some kind soul will share it on YouTube.

Martina Hingis's husband claims she has always been unfaithful to her boyfriends

Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis's entry into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the US this weekend is being overshadowed by a media storm over her off-court infidelities.

Ms Hingis, who rocketed to fame as the youngest female world No 1 aged just 16, is to be honoured at the Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, on Saturday.

But the talk in Swiss media has been less of her impending accolade than of revelations from her husband, French equestrian Thibault Hutin, who claims she is a serial adulteress.

Mr Hutin, who is six years younger than his 32-year-old estranged wife, laid bare his despair over her extramarital affairs in an interview with the Swiss newspaper 'Sonntagsblick'.

"A year after the wedding... we were supposed to meet in New Yorkand I wanted to give her a surprise," he said.

"Upon arriving at the hotel room it was me that was surprised," Mr Hutin said. "Because Martina was not alone."

Mr Hutin said he tried to save the marriage but "late last year I found out that she had cheated on me again".

"Martina has a very personal conception of morality. She has always been like that; I think she has always been unfaithful to her boyfriends."

Ms Hingis is now reported to be in a relationship with David Tosas Ros, a Spanish sports management executive. They were spotted together at the French Open. Mr Hutin said:

 "They shared the hotel room there and they paraded themselves in public in the Bois de Boulogne. There are even pictures of them. You can imagine how painful it was."

The US Tennis Hall of Fame is due to recognise the Slovakia-born star for her five Grand Slam titles. She kept the world No 1 ranking for 209 weeks. (© Daily Telegraph, London)

Irish Independent

independent.ie

I still can't really see Martina as a serial cheater.