Jim McLennan, Senior Editor, TennisONE
(Photography by Steve Lacey)
To see other articles in Hingis series: Part 1
Click here to see animation of Hingis forehand.
All the past champions have played within their own elements of style. Chrissie Evert won with deadly accuracy and uncanny consistency. Martina Navratilova dominated opponents with her athleticism and aggressive style of play, always moving forward, knifing volleys and spearing overheads from all parts of the fore court. Monica Seles (and we cannot forget her brilliant but perhaps shortened career) punished the ball off both wings, ferocious, fearless, pounding the ball like no one before or since. And of course Steffi Graf, crafting a remarkable record around a killer forehand, an unusual but effective backhand slice, and a will of steel in countless grand slam title situations.
Martina Hingis is steady but no Chris Evert. She does move forward to end the point, but not so much athletically as she does with cunning. Her net forays are well constructed with wonderful approaches, and generally decided with just one volley. Remember match championship point at the recent US Open: wide serve to the deuce court and a sharply angled and underspun backhand volley totally out of reach of a racing Venus Williams. Hingis plays offense off both wings, and generally on or within the baseline, but nothing to resemble Seles. And finally, to this author, her game seems far more rounded than Graf's, for Hingis does not need to (or choose) to run around the backhand, for with her equal abilities off both wings why take the extra steps? And time will tell about her will and determination.
Hingis commands the court and commands her opponents with a simple topspin forehand. Using a semi-western, she favors the topspin drive. She definitely spins the ball, but with a driving motion (I've already done a mini-series on how my old coach Tom Stow favored this type of hit). Contrast this with Mary Carillo's apt description of the Venus Williams forehand, "She puts a lot of work on the ball." In many instances, that excess work caused some real mishits, mishits seen all too frequently with the extreme semi-western style Williams' favors.
Hingis' topspin forehand is so simple and clean, it offers the tennis student a classic example of how the preparation, the contact and the finish should look and feel. I encourage anyone who is trying to add more spin to their game to experiment with the following.
As you experiment with this spin, adjust your grip toward the semi-western position. Start the racquet well up and well back, relax and use the wrist as you swoop under and then up on the ball, and stay keenly focused on the top edge of your racquet. And try and capture some of the fun that Martina always shows us in her matches.
Click here to see animation of Hingis forehand.
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