Martina Hingis' new career

In advance of the final of the Hilversum Open in The Netherlands between Martin Verkerk and John van Lottum the previously retired Martina Hingis participated in a tennis clinic with Jacco Eltingh and recently retired Kristie Boogert.

The former number 1 of the world Martina Hingis found a new way of living after she was forced to withdraw from the professional tennis circuit after struggling with foot injuries.

Hingis arrived in Amsterdam on Saturday where she for the first time went on sightseeing with a bike tour and a canal trip. It’s the second time Hingis visits Holland who played and won the Ordina Open in ‘sHertogenbosch in 2000. 

Miss Hingis now works for her sponsors Adidas, Yonex and Omega. Most of the time this means she has to answer questions asked by kids and play tennis with those who are selected by drawing after having spent some money on one of the products Hingis represents.

The winner of 40 singles titles and many records said she is enjoying her new career and that she is learning more and more about the companies she works for. She enjoys getting knowledge about their history and product. She also still enjoys travelling and getting to know the different countries; she will be in Tokyo in September where she will be working for Yonex.

The kids who were selected to ask questions wanted to know if Martina thought it was fair that men have to play best five sets and women only three. Her response was that five setters could become boring to watch and that she played two five setters once which she didn’t like.

In a reaction to a question about how she motivated herself over and over again she explained that it was harder to motivate her self for the last two years. Having success was a big motivation to go on and playing on Centre Courts has always been a drive to compete at her best. Playing on Centre Courts is something special she said and added that she enjoyed being back at Wimbledon to see a match and feel that atmosphere again.

Asked about the relation with her mother as a coach Hingis said that it was always very important to have her on court. And that they didn’t use specials signs in times of trouble. Asked when she needed her mother the most she replied that she didn’t want to talk about that.

The controversial 1999 Roland Garros final against Steffi Graf was back when someone asked why she played the underhand serve. She told that she wanted to make the point and thought that serving underhand could be the solution. She regretted that because she didn’t get what she was looking for. She still feels somewhat annoyed about the controversial mark that was not checked by the umpire but realised that it was not the most important point in the match. After that the French audience turned against her, which made a difference. She would handle the situation in a different way now.

When she was asked what fans meant to her she thought about how she was happy to receive an autograph from Monica Seles who she met when she was young. It made her very happy and she knows that fans are very important. She is also hoping that she can make people happy like she was when she met Monica Seles for the first time.

At the press conference Hingis had to address to the press and explained why she retired for the moment. And that only a medical miracle would have to occur for her to return as a pro tennis player. She is not able to practise up to 5 hours every day, what is needed to keep up with the other players of the WTA. She still hits the balls every now and then but only for limited time. She decided that health is more important than getting through and struggling. She is not satisfied with being halfway, until nothing chances it’s a definite decision.

Asked about her mental state after making the decision to stop professional tennis Hingis said she had difficult months and that it was hard to make that decision but there was nothing else to do than quitting. She had problems with picking up a new daily routine, not knowing what to do after waking up. She found new goals in studying Cambridge English and finishing high school to keep herself busy. She is at this time still waiting for the English Cambridge Advanced test results. She wants to do the Proficiency at the end of the year.

She said that she always will be a tennis player and that sport in general is too important for her to live without it. Her work with Adidas and Yonex give her the opportunity to keep working in tennis and stay physically busy. With doing this work she also finds the time to educate herself about the companies, having a long-term contract and being an ambassador for Adidas the woman’s brand. It was more difficult to attend clinics and other events of Adidas, Yonex and Omega earlier because they had to be fit in between the tournaments.

Although she stopped playing on such an early age, she is only 22 years old, she feels great about the way she is still respected for her achievements and that she is missed by a lot of people and fans. The advance nowadays is that she can choose herself when she wants to be in the spotlights and when she wants to return to her private life in Switzerland.

As far as her horse show jumping career goes on she is competing on a low level now. At this moment she doesn’t have enough courage to jump the high walls and the big fences. She enjoys herself watching others and she got to know a lot of riders. She has been to competitions in Switzerland and Aachen in Germany where she gets invited by the riders and learns a lot. She also learned a lot from the German rider Franke Sloothaak where she spent five days at his stables.

Asked for her view on today’s woman’s tennis she said its more physical than it used to be and that she was very happy to see Justin Henin win the French Open who she played with at Saddlebrook along with Kim Clijsters. The girls nowadays have to be in better shape because the sport is more demanding. In styles she likes the Russian girls especially when she watched Sherapova playing her match in Wimbledon. She said it is nice to see the young players to come in at the net and show some variety in game play.

At the moment it looks like Hingis has found her new career working for the sponsors. She is not sure how many events for Yonex or Adidas she has to attend each year, they are still talking about that. Both Yonex and Adidas had a busy schedule for her, being in Germany and Switzerland this year and going to Tokyo in September for Yonex. For Adidas she has been to the French Open, Wimbledon and played clinics in America at Cape Cod.

She thinks her future is in working for the companies at the moment. The advantage is that her work giving clinics also keeps her in shape like she said every woman wants to look good and stay in good shape.