By JOHN ROBERTS
An American sports coach once said that people did not want to hear the birth pains, they just wanted to see the baby.
Judging by the interest generated by Tim Henman and Martina Hingis as they search for new mentors, pangs ain't what they used to be.
David Felgate, Henman's coach for almost nine years until they parted a month ago, even managed to upstage the British No 1 by guiding a new client, Xavier Malisse, a 20-year-old Belgian, to the final of an ATP tournament in Atlanta after their first week working together.
Henman, who reached the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Open in his first Master Series tournament without Felgate, hopes to have a new coach in place before Wimbledon next month - sooner if possible.
Hingis, who parted from Melanie Molitor, her mother as well as her coach, after losing to Venus Williams in the quarter-finals of the Ericsson Open last month, is weighing her options.
The first time Hingis flew the nest, she landed on her beak at Wimbledon.
While not exactly swooping across the court after her latest take-off, five months before her 21st birthday, the world No 1 seems to be enjoying every moment of her independence.
She takes delight in booking her own flights, hotels, practice courts, hitting partners, racket stringers and interviews with the media; all the logistical details that used to be arranged by her mother and Molitor's companion, Mario Widmer, who acted as Hingis' manager.
The other day, a Swiss tennis journalist asked Hingis for an interview and she promised to telephone him at 8 am the next day. His phone rang at 8 am precisely.
"See," she said. "I try to be on time like a Swiss watch."
Hingis' timing during matches is paramount, and finding a replacement for her mother at the courtside is the biggest challenge, and also the greatest concern for those who have marvelled at her remarkable career since she first won the French junior singles title at the age of 12.
In contrast to 1999, when Hingis split with her mother on the eve of the first round at Wimbledon, in the aftermath of Hingis' tantrums during the French Open final, the parting appears to have been amicable this time, at least on the surface.
Molitor, aged 43, admits that tension had developed between the professional and personal relationships.
Hingis may become the first of the female prodigies to take charge of her own career without acrimony or rebellion, unlike the rehabilitated American Jennifer Capriati, whose life was in turmoil after a spectacular start to her professional career.
But Molitor is the source of Martina's intelligent play, an all-court style of pinpoint stroke selection and anticipation that has enabled her to think a step ahead of the opposition, including big-hitters such as the Williams sisters and Lindsay Davenport.
Although maintaining her position at the top of the WTA rankings, Hingis has not won a Grand Slam singles title since the 1999 Australian Open.
Travelling without her mother, Hingis lost to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in the quarter-finals at Amelia Island, and to Jennifer Capriati in the finals at Charleston, both last month.
For those events, Hingis hired Rickard Bergh, of Sweden, as a hitting partner. But she has signed Australian David Taylor as her coach for the German Open, followed by next week's Italian Open in Rome.
Taylor was Hingis' sparring partner at the 1999 French Open (contrary to the belief that Steffi Graf took the role), and they have kept in touch since Hingis bought a base in Florida, where Taylor coaches.
"David knows me quite well," she says. "He knows my routine and everything."
Whether the temporary arrangement is extended to cover the French Open, the only major title missing from Hingis' CV, remains to be seen.
Taylor already has a job coaching talented young compatriots for Tennis Australia.
Hingis' concern about her rivals' power persuaded her to experiment with a new racket this year. It weighed the same as her previous racket, but more of the weight was distributed towards the head.
She used the racket in winning titles in Doha and Dubai, but without playing very well.
The racket was abandoned in favour of her old one before the American tournaments in Indian Wells and Key Biscayne. She will try another racket soon, but one with equal weight distribution.
Widmer, a former sports journalist, began managing Hingis' business affairs soon after developing a relationship with her mother. But Octagan, Hingis' sports management firm, now plays a bigger role.
"I am still her adviser," Widmer says. "If she has a problem she telephones me. But as manager of a world No 1 you have to be with her daily."
- INDEPENDENT
Tennis: Hingis and Henman move on after ditching long-time mentors
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