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http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/...5-23216,00.html
| quote: | Hingis rates comeback
By Daniel Pace
January 2, 2006
MARTINA Hingis rates her serious comeback to professional tennis on the Gold Coast today an eight out of 10 and the Swiss superstar believes it'll only get better.
After a three-year break from fulltime tennis, Hingis was understandably rusty early in her first round clash with Venezuela's Maria Vento-Kabchi at the Australian Women's Hardcourts event at Royal Pines.
But the 25-year-old former world No.1 soon found her rhythm and cruised to a 6-2 6-1 victory in just 51 minutes in front of a packed centre court crowd of about 1500.
Asked to score her performance against world No.62 Vento-Kabchi, Hingis said: "Under the circumstances in the heat and not having played for three years, I'd say an eight (out of 10), other times even better.
"I don't know what else I should have done today better than what I did. The score says it all."
Hingis retired in 2002 with ankle, foot and heel injuries before making an abortive comeback attempt in a WTA event in Thailand in February last year when she lost to Germany's Marlene Weingartner.
The 31-year-old Vento-Kabchi broke Hingis in the opening game today before the Swiss, who improved markedly with every game, took a firm grip on the match played in hot and humid conditions.
Asked whether she was concerned on-court after her nervous start, Hingis said: "Not really.
"I knew I could play better than that.
"It was just a matter of time and getting the first point and the first game.
"After that I started breathing."
Hingis' serve has improved and her groundstrokes appear considerably harder than when she retired at the age of 22 in 2002.
"Just wait until the next matches, I'll be even better," said Hingis, about her serve despite sending down just one ace today.
"You have to have a high percentage of first serves otherwise these girls today are going to kill you.
"They're very aggressive and they attack right away." She had a match strategy against Vento-Kabchi, who has trained with Hingis in Tampa, Florida and lost to her in Doha in 2001.
"It was a tough match in the beginning," said three-time Australian Open champion Hingis.
"I was very focused and concentrated." But once Hingis stamped her control on the match, she loosened up in the second set and felt a huge weight lift off her slight frame.
"I didn't really have big expectations," said the winner of five grand slams.
"Getting out there with the crowds in the stands when I was 16, 17, it was all normal.
"You go out there now and you're like a kid in a toy store.
"Now there's all these fans and they're cheering for me. Sometimes it wasn't that way so it's nice to have them on my side.
"Here in Australia it's always been great to be playing." It's a far cry from the French Open - the only grand slam tournament to elude Hingis - where she's been booed and heckled on several occasions.
Hingis, who next plays world No.35 Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic on Wednesday, said today's victory had given her an enormous confidence boost.
"It's big," she added. " I get another opportunity to play another match and that feels great already.
"All these expectations I've put on myself, it's gone right now for this moment. I'll feel great for the next 24 hours I'm sure." |
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