WASHINGTON -- Anticipation involves risk.
Positioning means determining the best place to hedge this risk.
On the tennis court, Martina Hingis has mastered this with a delicate touch.
It has been 14 years since Hingis last held the No.1 singles ranking, yet she moves like a ballerina on the court. Her footwork is not so much lightning-quick as flowing and graceful.
"She's so smart, just the smartest tennis player," Hall of Famer Billie Jean King said. "The way she plays is just so intelligent. She knows how to play and develop a point better than anyone. Watching Martina play is to see a clinic in how to play tennis."
With a single Hingis drop shot, she still reminds you of the player who won the U.S. Open at 16 in 1997 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"I have a saying: 'selection of shot equals talent,'" King said. "The selection of her shots is amazing. Martina is the epitome of that. And she can execute. Not only can she think where she wants the ball to go, she can actually do it. Some people think right; they just can't execute. Martina can do both.
"What it really comes down to, though, is her tennis intelligence. The way she develops a point shows her intelligence. I can't think of a smarter player, ever."
Now she's back at the U.S. Open, paired with Italy's Flavia Pennetta in doubles. As a warm-up for the Open, they lost in the quarterfinals to Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in Montreal 6-2, 3-6, 10-1.
Even at the start of her career, Hingis was special. Tennis might never have had a better prodigy.
She began learning the game at 2 from her mother, Melanie Molitor.
At 12, Hingis became the youngest player to win a junior title in a Grand Slam tournament.
By 13, she turned pro. When Hingis won the 1997 Australian Open at 16, she became the youngest Grand Slam champion in more than a century.
By 18, Hingis had five Grand Slam singles titles. But at 22, she was out of tennis because of severe ankle problems requiring ligament surgery.
Hingis returned to a full schedule of competition in 2006. She had an impressive comeback season, winning her first Grand Slam mixed doubles title and two WTA singles titles.
However, by the fall of 2007, her body was breaking down. She also tested positive for cocaine and was suspended for two years.
As a member of the Washington Kastles of World TeamTennis this summer, Hingis looked like an artist enamored and invigorated by her craft.
"Winning with my teammates, that's the highlight," she said. "Just like anybody, I am motivated by playing well, making good deals and victories, of course. That's my motivation."
During the circuit's month-long season, she seemed to buy into the team-first approach.
"TeamTennis gave me both the life and the energy to come back to the sport," she said. "When I came back last summer, I wanted to get back the feeling of completion, of winning with a teammate. I just missed that."
Her peers are happy to see Hingis back in action.
"The way she sees tennis and understands it — I've never seen anyone like that," said Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova, who teamed with Hingis in the 2013 U.S. Open.
Hantuchova played for the San Diego Aviators in WTT this summer.
"Obviously, it's so great for the game to have her back. Whenever she's around, she brings that special thing that she has in her. Playing with her or against her has always been a huge honor."
Added Hingis, "In the U.S., you appreciate great sports, and you have a long tradition with tennis. American fans are very knowledgeable, so I love competing in front of them. It's different than in Switzerland — it's not just about the individual; it's more about team. I like that."
Hingis' touch and finesse translate well to doubles.
In 1998, she became the fourth woman in history to sweep the calendar-year Grand Slam doubles titles and overall has nine Grand Slam doubles titles.
These days, you won't find her lacking for teammates.
She plays doubles with a host of partners: Germany's Sabine Lisicki, Australia's Anastasia Rodionova and Russia's Vera Zvonereva, among others.
"It's good that I'm multicultural — that helps," said Hingis, who is Swiss but was born in what is now Slovakia.
After she retired, Hingis coached at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in Paris, working with Rodionova and others. In 2014, she began coaching Lisicki.
While in Paris, Hingis' former compatriot and sometime doubles partner Hantuchova persuaded her to pick up a racket again.
"She's been my idol since I was a little kid," Hantuchova said of Hingis. "She has always been such a huge influence on my career. She understands me very well because we are from the same part of the world. ...
"We were born about 20 minutes apart in the same part of Slovakia. We go out for dinners when we're not too busy with the schedules. We've stayed close friends. We always keep in touch. I will always admire her."
In March, Hingis and Lisicki won the Sony Open in Miami.
King says she thinks Hingis can win in New York again in doubles.
"I think she loves this, playing doubles," King said. "In doubles, can she win? Oh, yeah. She's amazing."
Hingis enjoys returning to the U.S. Open, where she last played in singles in 2007, losing to Victoria Azarenka in the third round.
"The U.S. Open, it's a great stage," Hingis said. "It's the biggest tournament: size, prestige, everything. If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere, right? It's always such a great time. The vibe in the city, the people, they just appreciate great sports."
She's optimistic she still has what it takes to be a champion.
"Can I win a Slam again? Well, that would be like a dream. That's why we're out here, to win titles," she said. "A Grand Slam, yeah, that's definitely what I'm aiming for at the end of the day, right? I wouldn't mind. Sign me up. I'm ready."
usatoday.com
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