The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • 22

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JHorning $rralb Sporting Life 21 smhcomau Monday December 31 2001 TENNIS Hingis arrives repaired and ready for the long climb back to the summit It's Kournikova's lucky day as wildcard allows her a start in Sydney the rankings cut-off for entry into the main draw was 26 "The 2001 season has unfortunately not been the best one for her because of injury and in April she had surgery on her left foot because of a stress fracture" he said "It resulted in her missing quite a few months from the tour However she is determined to get off to a good start in 2002" Roddick rode a huge first serve and booming forehand to win three ATP tour titles last 1996-97 when Hingis came to Australia as the hottest 16-year-old has she been ranked as low and while she said yesterday she hoped to do well this year indications from the previous 12 months are that her best may not be good enough to add to her five grand slam singles titles Troubled routinely by the heavy hitters throughout 2001 Hingis won just three singles titles the most recent in February and her results indicate she can no longer out-think and out-manoeuvre stronger opponents in successive matches Last year Hingis finished 0-3 against rejuvenated American Jennifer Capriati and although she enjoyed a 3-2 record against the Wiliams sisters Venus and Serena routed her in straight sets in Miami and New York follow- SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL BenWyM Martina Hingis arrived in Sydney early yesterday confident of a full recovery from an ankle injury that cost her top spot in the rankings For the first time in five years Hingis heads into next $17 million adidas Inter- national at Homebush Bay not as the No 1 -ranked female tennis player only its No4 The defending singles champion said her right ankle damaged during a sep a final against Lindsay Pavenport at Filderstadt in Germany last October had stood up well during practice sessions will see how I go when I hit the first ball in my first match I will do my best" Hingis said Not since the summer of ralian Open by playing in this Australian women's hardcourt event at the Gold Coast The elder Wiliams sister last year achieved a ranking of No3 based on 12 events five events fewer than Capriati and Davenport and six fewer than Hingis Davenport has in feet conceded that relative inactivity is the only reason she sitting atop the rankings list: Venus played even close to a foil schedule I see right now how anybody else could be Nol" Hingis will be aiming for her third adidas International title having won last year and in 1997 The tournament which starts on Sunday is headed by Davenport and Capriati and boasts 16 of the top 20 women in die world season and will be making his Australian debut In Sydney "He is still a teenager but what a season he has enjoyed and finished 16th on the ATP Cham- pions Race compared to 160th from the year Watson said "I am positive tennis fans here will be in awe of this kid's power and the way he hits the ball" Roddick pushed the then soon-to-be world No 1 and eventual champion Ueyton Hewitt to the while her accurate probing groundstroke game has crumbled in major tournaments under the strain of playing consecutive matches against power players the likes of Capriati Dav brink during their five-set quarterfinal at the United States Open With Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras nearing the end of their careers Roddick is widely regarded as the next great hope Koumikova and Roddick join Martina Hingis Jennifer Capriati Serena Williams Lindsay Davenport the French Davis Cup team and Juan Carlos Ferrero in the singles draw BenWyld enport and the Wiliams sisters season reached its low-point at Wimbledon where she carried a back injury during a humiliating first-round straight-sets defeat to Virginia in cruise mode with a hard act to follow Ruano Pascual then ranked 83rd in the world It was at Wmbledon that Davenport implored Hingis to adopt a more aggressive style lest the game would pass her by: "At some point Martina's going to have to incorporate that in her game to win slams or tournaments on a more regular Injury played its role in reshuffling the rankings at the end of the season as Hingis out with tom ligaments in her right ankle lost her mantle as the Nol to Capriati briefly until Davenport claimed that honour at the last tournament of the year the WTA Tour Championships The earjy signs for 2002 are more ominous still Venus Wiliams has signalled her intentions on making a serious attempt for the Aust Coast Photo: Angela Wylie Russian Anna Koumikova and promising American Andy Roddick have been granted wildcards Into the $17 million adidas International starting at Homebush Bay on Sunday Koumikova who partnered Barbara Schett to win the 2001 doubles title required a wildcard entry after a foot injury resulted in her ranking dropping to 74 Tournament director Craig Watson said because of the strength of the women's field ing Hingis's eariy-season wins in Australia More concerning for the Hingis camp were decisive losses to tour veterans Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario Smash hit: a relaxed Venus Williams is and rising stars Kim Clijsrers Amelie Mauresmo and Elena Dementieva The vulnerable Hingis second serve is easy pickings for the game's heavyweight hitters all laughs as she discusses her plans for against France was an unblemished Davis Cip singles record -Hewitt has yet to time his run into the Australian Open to maximise his chances of peaking at the tournament he covets most "If there was ever one grand slam that I wanted to win it would be die Australian the reigning United States Open champion said "Going in as the number-one seed this year going to be a lot of expectations a lot of pressures on me but I feel like Tm capable of doing well and hopefully getting into the second Aside from last year's Davis Cup first round against Ecuador Hewitt has played only one previous tournament in Perth for success in a 1997 Challenger event That was in his previous life before victory in Adelaide two months later launched his career He has not looked back and indeed surged forward so relentlessly that last year he became the youngest player to finish at Nol Not since long before the shift from Kooyong to FlindersMel-boume Park in 1988 has an Australian entered the national championship as top seed and Hewitt will do so with a new coach Jason Stoltenberg replaced Darren Cahill last month but die cause is frill a subject on which neither side is prepared to comment between Darren and I and how it is going to Hewitt said and I had a great partnership there is no doubt and Jason is going to do just as well They are very similar personalities and I am really looking forward to a new start and a new change Tm at the top of the game so hopefully I can try and stay He does not expect to make too many adjustments to a program that in 2001 included 98 singles matches But Hewritt said he had learnt to listen to his body when it needed to rest The four majors along with Davis Cup though will remain die pillars of his schedule Hewitt has had the chance to reflect on the past year only in the past few weeks Effectively the new year has already begun The old one will be hard to top this Hardcourt Championships at Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Linda Pearce Lleyton Hewitt has spent the past month in Adelaide with his girlfriend Kim Clusters swallowing the disappointment of Davis Cup defeat watching the cricket and th new Tam Cruise film Vanilla Sky playing golf chilling out Perhaps in a quiet moment Hewitt also reflected on die past year and one consequence his remarkable rise may create The problem if one can call it that: How to top what has gone before? "I want to go and play footy now" Hewitt joked after yesterday opening the new season with a three-set eclipse of Swiss Roger Federer at the Hopman Cup his first match since winning the fourth rubber in the Davis Cup final 28 days ago "I really know where to 'start the next goals because growing up as a 15 16-year-old your dream is to become world No 1 some day and obviously win a grand slam along the way And I was able to do that at the age of 20 so Tm not sure what to do from here "But obviously my next big goal is the Australian Open I put that pressure that Fve got to win it but I want to go out there and play as well as I can and if I can do that then I think Tm in with a pretty good This year the preparation is the first aspect to change After building up to the past three opens with tour events in Adelaide and Sydney Hewitt has opted for a change of new year scene favouring the Hopman three-match guarantee over the unpredictability of tournaments mat can deliver either too much tennis or not quite enough In his case being underdone has not been die problem and even he has maintained he was unsure if his warm-up successes of the past few years had been for better or worse Whatever he has kept open his options for next week while this week bypassing the hometown tournament which gave him his start Indeed for all his success in Australia which includes four ATP Tour singles titles and what mi1 die first day of the final Molik lends HOPMAN CUP Linda Pearce Shopaholic Williams now in the market for Australian titles HARDCOURT a real tough time She took me down easily After that you get respect for a player and since then I've played pretty well against In the opening matches yesterday Australian wildcards Christina Wheeler and Samantha Stosur both suffered straight-set losses in the first round Wheeler 19 lost 6-4 6-4 to seventh-ranked Daja Bedanova from the Czech Republic while 17-year-old hometown favourite Stosur went down 6-2 6-0 to Russian Anastasia Myskina An upset came when world No 63 Tina Pisnik of Slovenia beat third-seeded Frenchwoman Sandrine Testud 6-4 7-5 Australian Fed Cup star Nicole Pratt faces dose-ranked American Lilia Osterioh in the first round today AAP concern has been reducing an out-of-control credit card MIL not supposed to be shopping until January 1 and then I have an allowance" Williams said yesterday guess I just got out of control between the months of July and September I spiralled back to my ultimate low got some jewellery I remember buying I questioned what I had bought and I hardly remember and when there's a problem "When I got my credit card bill I was just so disappointed I did really good up until about three days ago when I had a relapse" Williams has thrown herself into studying for a fashion degree since winning the US Open final against her sister in September just three days before the terrorist attacks in the US grounded her end-of-year tennis schedule The powerhouse American ar-rived from Miami on Friday and is hoping the sun will spice up her new year enough to bring success at one of two grand slams that have eluded her Williams is not expected to get on centre court until tomorrow and has been careful not to overwork in the lead-up to the new season Indeed such an approach has been a hallmark of her career in recent seasons She boasts a record of only five losses and 46 wins from tour matches this year but is still to reach the top-ranked spot Compatriots Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati lead the rankings after playing 17 tournaments each Williams played only 12 "I really put a lot of pressure on myself for No 1 I put pressure on myself to win Williams said "This week hopefully do well and get a lot of matches in and will be in the correct mental state to get all the waytothefinaL "My first goal is to take home a few titles here in If the things go according to seeding Williams will face defending champion Justine Henin In the Gold Coast finaL The 19-year-old Belgian has shot up the rankings from 48 to world No 7 this year with three singles titles and semi-final berths in the French and German opens Williams stopped Henin's 15-match winning run In Germany in May before defeating her again In the final of Wimbledon in July actually like playing against Williams said "The first time I played her last year at the German Open I had Venus Williams will line up in the Australian Women's Hardcourt Championships on the Gold Coast this week hoping to collect some loose change before taking aim at the million-dollar Australian Open prize purse The Wimbledon and United States Open champion is favourite to pick up the $54000 winner's cheque at Royal Pines Resort and if what she said yesterday about a spiralling spending habit are right the world No 3 may be needing the cash Williams is on track to break the $10 million mark in career winnings next year but after banking $26 million from two grand slam title victories and six other singles wins in 2001 her most successful year on the WTA tour the 21-year-old's biggest Fitzgerald focuses on Philippoussis for cup tie Lleyton a hand to sweep Swiss Tmnot supposed to be shopping until January 1 and then I have an allowance' VENUS WILLIAMS Vicario in the next three days "Fve been working a lot on my forehand and making my strengths ever stronger said Molik whose goal for next year is a place in the top 30 "The first match of the summer is always a nerve-racking one but it was important to get off to a good start and help Lleyton out I know probably have to ask for some help from him larar In the Hewitt is more than capable of anchoring the second-seeded team and is sure to build on his showing against Federer Hewitt said he found it hard to begin the new tennis year so soon after the Davis Cup final always tough coming back first he said Spain later took an unbeatable 2-0 lead over Argentina Sanchez Vicario beat Suarez 6-2 6-3 and Tommy Robredo downed Mariano Zabaleta 4-6 6-2 6-3 completed a 6-3 6-1 sweep If Hewitt typically found his game just when he needed it then Molik's was also an encouraging first-up display There are high hopes that the tall serve-volleyer will become the longer-serving successor to Jelena Dokic and like comparing Hewitt with Fat Rafter her style was always going to take longer to mature That process it seems has now begun This year Molik has trimmed her ranking to a respectable 47th die highest of the Australian women as she has worked on improving her movement forehand and consistency as well as building on her existing strength the serve Molik was expected to beat Vavrinec but the feet that she did so before one of the biggest audiences of her career was cause for optimism before matches against Axgendne Paola Suarez and Spaniard Arantxa Sanchez The Adelaide tournament will feature several big names with the first-round highlight a dash between Americans Pete Sampras and Todd Martin Martin is itching to continue his recent winning form against the former world No 1 "I beat Pete the last time I played him so I have some positive memories to draw upon for this Martin said "I have a one-match winning streak fegainst Samprafr after losing 17 out of 19 matches before so Tm on number three and looking for number Tournament top seed Tim Henman of Britain has high hopes for this year's tournament after making it to the semi-finals last year and was impressed with the quality of the draw think as you look throughout the whole draw I can only comment on the last couple of years but it seems like an exceptionally strong he MEN'S HARDCOURT Pat Rafter may be gone but Australian Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald is hoping Mark Philippoussis will boost tennis stocks this week For Philippoussis a wildcard entry into the AAPT Championships which start in Adelaide today will hopefully bring a happy ending to a frustrating year blighted by a knee injury A fit Philippoussis may become a Davis Cup replacement for Rafter who has taken a break from the game for the tie against Argentina in February are hoping he is physically OK he has given every indication he will be available if he is fit and so flu: he looks terrific" Fitzgerald said Andrew Hie is also being considered by Fitzgerald for the Davis Cup team a big goal of Ilie said of passible cup selection said think that just shows there are a lot of guys eager to get off to a good start get the preparation and get their games ready for the Australian summer and certainly one of Henman shone at last event performing well in the sweltering temperatures but said players had to get used to all types of conditions "I think when it does get hot the conditions certainly get a little bit he said That probably favours someone like myself but having said that the conditions can change pretty quickly here so you've got to make sure you can deal with whatever the state of play is I can get some matches under my belt this week and give myself die best shot at the Australian Scott Draper and Wayne Arthurs are die two other Australians in die 32-man field' AAP Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik were born in Adelaide one month mart almost 21 years ago lived 10 minutes from each other and leans the game at the Seaside Tennis Chib development has been far swifter but star is also on the ascent and the pair combined yesterday for a 3-0 Australian victory at the Hopman Cup Molik celebrated her debut at the mixed-teams event with a 6-3 6-4 defeat of world No 119 Miroslava Vhvrinec before a record crowd 8486 at Burswood Hewitt followed with a 6-3 0-6 6-4 defeat of boyfriend Roger Federer making a dead rubber of die mind doubles in which die Australians resumed a partnership that began at a junior tournament about a decade ago and Popular Lleyton Hewitt passes fens in Perth before the first-round Hopman Cup tie against Switzerland yesterday Photo: AFP.