48 hours: Hingis powers back into form at Aussie Open

Opinion

How timely that the power of Serena and Venus Williams was turned off at the Australian Open, as Martina Hingis began her eagerly awaited return to the tennis big time.

At least the latest Williams sisters' hiatus - it was their worst combined showing in a Grand Slam event - has allowed a bit of extra room for the beauty of the Hingis game, and our memory of it, to flourish so quickly again.

The Australian Open is providing the first, and quite promising, indication of whether Hingis will be a successful new age player or a party piece reminder of a former age.

She swept past Czech Iveta Benesova in just over and hour on Saturday, the way she demolished so many opponents in the past.

Yet even in her prime, Hingis was at odds with the trend towards more power. The Hingis of old would be a pushover nowadays, so she has returned physically stronger. Clearly, she accepted one of the oldest rules in the book - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Whether Hingis can ever match Serena Williams in particular, if and when the younger of the tennis sisters gives the calories up and puts the accelerator down, is another matter.

When Hingis limped out of the women's game on wrecked feet and ankles in 2002, it looked like a damaged flower being shifted out of view, just before it was completely demolished by a storm.

It wasn't just the rise of the muscular Williams sisters which made Hingis and her game frail.

The metronome-like Lindsay Davenport, much taller and with a strong build, also had a winning record against the one-time teenage sensation and world number one.

Davenport is now the number one ranked player in the game, yet has none of the charisma of Hingis or a parade of players who came before her. The women's game right now lacks the class that Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Hingis and others have given it down the years.

The first three of those could certainly hit the ball hard, but they also had the classic elements to their game.

When Hingis quit, it could be seen as a final confirmation that tennis had completed another handover to power. (In 1989, two women recorded serves over 160km/h. In 2004, 151 did so.)

That the Williams sisters, and Serena in particular, haven't destroyed all before them in the intervening years is more down to their own peculiar way of blowing hot and cold than the strength of the opposition.

It also says that players like Mary Pierce and Davenport, who manage to make the power game look particularly uninteresting, have bridged the gap the way Hingis must attempt to now.

The Williams have won a fair share, but surely could have won even more.

When in the mood, you still feel that the winning is still theirs for the taking, but Hingis at least gives us a reminder that the beautiful game once resided at the top.

Which is not to deride the Williams sisters and their thunderbolt tennis. Far from it. The rise and fall and rise and fall of these two, who came from tough origins which included tennis courts where their serves weren't the only bullets in evidence, has been fascinating.

They can be brilliant, mesmerising, to watch.

But you are forever wondering what mood they are in, has the preparation been complete, and whether the superstar life is centre stage at the expense of centre court.

With the greats of the past, Navratilova and co, you knew that tennis and winning the big events was at least near the head of the queue when it came to their thinking.

After losing to a teenage Bulgarian in the first round at Melbourne last week, Venus declared she had paid the price for showing her opponent "largesse". The media photographs suggested that Serena, beaten on Friday, paid the price for something similar. The Williams are among the most fascinating sights in the history of tennis but their attitude is not quite as appealing.

Tennis, women's and men's, is also in better shape when it has room for the tactics and shot making of its artists like Hingis and her brilliant Swiss compatriot Roger Federer.

Hingis is unlikely to have the longevity of the woman she was named after, Martina Navratilova, the hero of Hingis' tennis-playing mother, Melanie Molitor.

It would be a miracle if her type of game suddenly found a consistent edge over the power players who have been born with the physique to match.

But her comeback is still something to rejoice in for however long it may last.

Many would have expected that even at just 25, with titles and riches, Hingis would have looked at the world tennis scene, remembered her struggles, and thought she had too much to lose in taking the court again. Yet she found herself waking up morning after morning, missing the game.

Hingis should have a maturity and perspective on life to stand her in good stead in the tough times, and is trying to increase her serving and baseline power knowing she doesn't stand a chance without it.

Maybe the miracle will happen in Melbourne, although the searing heat could be an added problem for a player making this sort of comeback.

And beyond Melbourne, wouldn't a resurgent Hingis clashing with Serena Williams in a Grand Slam final be a tantalising prospect.

* There was more bad news for English football supporters over the weekend, and once again it involves team manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The Swede has announced legal proceedings against the newspaper which caught him in an embarrassing sting involving a fake sheikh.

It means that the manager and key players David Beckham and Wayne Rooney are all involved in actions against newspapers in the lead-up to the World Cup finals in the middle of the year.

A fourth player, Rio Ferdinand, is likely also to be involved as a witness in Rooney's case. England could well do without these distractions.

High
The Australian Open, sporting drama aplenty although you don't envy the players having to operate in that heat.

Low
Cricket. It's the height of summer, but is there anything out there worth watching?