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THE
SCOOP: U.S. OPEN, DAY 1
Is
Hingis anyone’s favorite?
By
Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net
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Susan
Mullane
Camerawork USA, Inc.
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FLUSHING
MEADOWS, N.Y., AUG. 27 – It
will be more than interesting to see Martina Hingis' reaction
when she arrives on court at the Open on Monday as the most out
of favor No. 1 since Thomas Muster snared Pete Sampras' top dog
spot in February some years ago.
Because
it's one thing to be fourth on the all-time list at No. 1 and
not be
many analysts favorite to win the U.S. Open, it's another to be
nobody's
favorite to win a crown you won before on a surface that suits
you well. But
that is Martina's position here and the only way for her to right
the ship is
to actually turn some heads during the fortnight and actually
win the event.
As
most observers know, the chance of that happening is about as
good as Anna
Kournikova returning to play in 2002 with a bionic foot and a
110 mph second
serve to match. Hingis hasn't won a Grand Slam tournament in nearly
three
years and hasn't won a tournament since February. Her confidence
is down, her
serve is weak and her forehand is sporadic.
"My
top three are Venus, Lindsay and Jennifer," former U.S. Open
champ and
USA analyst Tracy Austin told tennisreporters.net
.
"Martina has to be very frustrated with the way things are
going for her right now. That serve is not going to get it done.
It's not going to win her tournaments. Martina's not going to
beat three tough players with a first serve that averages 85-90
mph and a second serve
in the 70s. She constantly on the defensive on her serve. I don't
think that
she realizes what a big problem it is and the first thing step
to curing a
problem is to admit it. I know she really respects her mother
as a coach, but
she needs to see a serving specialist to learn to add more velocity
on it.
Martina's forehand sits up too much and it doesn't drive the court
enough
like Davenport's. She hits with too much of an open stance and
topspin and
really needs to flatten it out more."
Who
does Austin recommend for Hingis' forehand ills? None other than
Austin's
former coach, Robert Lansdorp, who taught Tracy and Lindsay Davenport
how to
step in and rip it fast using lower body strength. "Martina
needs to get out
there with Robert and do some 20s from the baseline." And
for the serve?
"Maybe
she should try Pete Sampras' old coach, Pete Fisher. She needs
better
rotation."
We
know that's not going to happen, or do we? Justin Gimelstob and
Alexandra
Stevenson are being advised by Fisher, who was recently released
from jail
after serving time for felony molestation charges. If Martina
could find a
way to add even 10 mph to her serve and forehand, she would be
a legitimate
threat in every Slam she played.
FERNANDEZ
ALSO SEE NO TITLE
But
not this 14-day jaunt in N.Y., says ESPN analyst and former top-five
player Mary Joe Fernandez. "I definitely favor the big hitters
– the
Williams sisters , Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Monica
Seles over
Hingis," Fernandez said. "A lot of things have to fall
into place for
Martina to win. Her confidence is a little low, the U.S. Open
courts are
quick and the other girls hit so much harder. I wouldn't completely
count her
out, but I would be surprised if she won. She just can't match
those girls in
power and athleticism."
Some
believe that the only way that Hingis can regain her edge is commit
to
coming to net more and make better use her volley. Fernandez said
that
Hingis gets in the most trouble when she tries to stand toe to
toe with the
big hitters, rather than using her craftiness and wide variety
of shots.
"She has to mix it up and use every facet of her game,"
Fernandez said. "She
has to come in more, change the pace of her groundstrokes, throw
in some drop
shots, whatever it takes."
Hingis,
who was won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, is arguably the tour's
most adept volleyer and because she tends to tire late in matches,
could use
more frequent forays to the net as a way to shorten points.
"It's
going to be hard," Hingis said. "Watching [French serve-and-volleyer]
Nathalie Tauziat is amazing to me. Little girls like us, it's
the only way.
It's pretty hard because it's not my mentality. I have to overcome
myself to
really get that way."
After
playing a mixed doubles exo with Marat Safin on Saturday, Hingis
said
for the first time in memory that it's time to step it up. And
that's a good
sign. "You always want to prove something, but most of it
for yourself – that
you
still have the game, still have the ability of beating everybody
out there,"
said Hingis, who will play NCAA Laura Granville in in the first
match on Ashe
Stadium on Monday.
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