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TennisOne Lessons
Martina Hingis--Have We Got Another McEnroe Here?
Jim McLennan, Senior Editor, TennisONE
The recently concluded Bank of the West Classic, held at
the Stanford's fantastic Taube Family Tennis Center, showcased Martina Hingis'
amazing tennis skills.
Dominating both the singles and doubles, Hingis displayed
incredible court presence, an uncanny knack for shot selection, and great
feel for the ball. In the finals against Conchita Martinez she was always
in control, appeared not to have broken a sweat, and made it look all too
easy. She is known to have relatively light practice sessions, and
she appears far less muscular than her adversaries, yet she dominates, and
this reminds me exactly of McEnroe. Her artistry certainly approaches
his, though without the unseemly temper tantrums. Hingis draws me into
her matches (as did Mac) with creativity and her use of the whole court.
This in sharp contrast to a semifinal match that featured only crosscourt
groundstrokes, played without variation of spin, speed or placement. So
many of today's players (men and women) appear to have hit so many balls
to reach their present level of skill, that their matches are just venues
for their hitting skills (Pierce, Martinez, Coetzer,....). No one
is playing the game, just hitting the ball.
Hingis enjoys classic topspin on both wings, an excellent
underspin volley, a clean and crisp approaching game which includes a sidespin
backhand approach (quite evident in doubles). She serves and volleys, takes
the ball early when an opening presents itself, passes both with and without
pace (my favorite is her softie topspin roller) and totally takes control
of the time during the points. She rarely overpowers or outhits her
opponent, rather she simply outplays them, just like Mac.
We will develop these themes in a series of articles that
examine her grips, her stroking style, and her strategic talents. Hingis
is already demonstrating the signs of a classic champion with all the shots,
a champion that provides excellent training models for children or adults
who are "building" their games.
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