Will Flushing Meadows witness a Hingis renaissance?

By Selena Roberts

NEW YORK, AUG. 27. Not long ago, Martina Hingis was the diva in- charge, able to slay her much-heralded opponents with sharp angles and clever comebacks on the court, then bluntly dismiss their status as a threat afterward.

But her peacock's confidence has since faded. Monday, Hingis will take her place in the U.S. Open as a shrinking star, who has become as vulnerable as a dunk-tank victim.

Over and over, she has stood across the court, bracing herself for what's to come. In the past, she had enough savvy and stamina to withstand one brush with power. But without the kind of weapon that the wispy Justine Henin has conjured up, Hingis' brainpower has not been enough to defuse the murderer's row of Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati and Monica Seles.

``After a while, you just kind of get used to it,'' Hingis said. ``Everyone is hitting harder and getting bigger. If you're not ready, you're out of there.''

Ready or not, Hingis could lose the number one status symbol she has been clinging to for 203 straight weeks despite not winning a major since the 1999 Australian Open - the No. 1 ranking. Over the next two weeks, her longtime hold on the ranking - a product of her admirable consistency more than her quality of titles - could fall into the hands of Capriati. Davenport has a slender chance to reach the top at the end of the Open.

But even if Venus Williams wins her second U.S. Open in a row and fourth major since the 2000 Wimbledon, she will still find herself lagging behind in the ranking. This is almost by choice. More than any other player, Williams controls whether she will be No. 1.

When Williams dedicates herself to tennis, it is almost impossible to beat her. If she can schedule enough events, she will have more than enough points to satisfy the computer. ``I never really set my goals exactly for No. 1,'' Williams said after practice on Sunday, one day after she completed a sweep of Henin, Capriati and Davenport in a 27-hour period.

``Mostly, it was setting goals for the Grand Slams. As a result, if I can play well against them, I suppose I could be No. 1. But you know, I'm not thinking about it day in, day out.''

The No. 1 ranking has been part of Hingis' life for three of the past four years. In between Steffi Graf's exit and the arrival of a fitter Davenport, Hingis did not have to outmuscle the draw.

From 1997 to 1999, Hingis won five majors against less intimidating players, like Jana Novotna and Conchita Martinez. The more she won, the more brazen Hingis became. She was the one, who called Amelie Mauresmo `half a man,' cut down Anna Kournikova after she suggested she had a rivalry with Hingis and described the Williams family as having `big mouths.'

The bold edge to Hingis is more rounded now. Only after an early- season victory did Hingis dare to offer her brassy analysis. At the Australian Open, Serena Williams suggested her loss to Hingis was, in part, a result of food poisoning.

In response, Hingis said Serena Williams ought to be more professional about her diet. That was the last glimpse of Hingis' confidence. In Australia, she thought she had discovered the solution to her major drought when she defeated a rusty Serena and Venus Williams in back-to-back matches to land a spot in the final.

But physically eroded and emotionally threadbare, Hingis had nothing left to face yet another power player. All of a sudden, Capriati, with her roundhouse forehand, had reappeared on the scene.

If Capriati's renaissance has not been enough to wear on Hingis' spirits, the news gets worse. Davenport, who at 6 feet 2 is seven inches taller than Hingis, spent her down time from a spring-time knee injury hibernating in the gym.

``For four or five weeks, I really couldn't play tennis or run,'' said Davenport, who missed the French Open. ``So I had to be creative about trying to stay in some sort of shape. I did everything that I could. I started lifting weights again, which I hadn't done in about three years. I have continued that on my off weeks. I think that has helped a lot. When I came back, I took the tennis pretty slow and kept up with the gym stuff. Hopefully that will pay off in the long run.''

For more than two years, Hingis has also been in the weight room, but she cannot change the height of her frame or size of her bones. She can alter her style of game, though. She could go retro and come to the net.

One day, she may stop toying with the idea and begin using the approach as a strategy. She thinks about it all the time, evoking the name of serve-and-volley throwback, Nathalie Tauziat, when confronted with the notion that small-ball can't win on the tour anymore.

``Yeah, it's been more difficult to win because there are so many big hitters out there,'' Hingis said. ``But you can always try to use other things. You see Tauziat, the way she plays. And you can still use your speed and your quickness.''

Until she tinkers with her game, power has caught up to Hingis. Unless she has one amazing U.S. Open run, unless a rugged draw falls her way, Hingis' familiar perch at No. 1 could come to an end after more than 200 weeks.

``I think it's going to be hard in general for someone to be No. 1 for a long time,'' Hingis said. ``Someone may be No. 1 for a short while and then switch. But hopefully, it won't be when I'm playing. But if it does? 200 weeks? I'm very proud of what I've done.''

- New York Times News Services

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Golden day for Jaspal-Naresh duo
Next     : Haas ousts Sampras