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Page 2
One thing that Hingis has a lot of is pride. Being pushed out of the top spot hurt but it was justifiable to her considering she had not won a single Grand Slam title since 1999. Being pushed out of the Top 10, however, must dent her pride. While one must take into consideration that Hingis was absent from the circuit between May and August, missing Roland Garros and Wimbledon as a result, the fact that she is no longer considered an elite player nor a contender must still hurt someone who has built her career on pride and confidence.
The two main elements of Martina’s game that she has continually been called on to improve are her serve – particularly the weak second delivery – and the power on her groundstrokes. Those elements were, and are, seen to be vital in order for her to maintain any sort of equality on-court with the big hitters such as the Williams sisters, Capriati and Davenport. While those elements are still lacking, Martina’s strengths in her speed, consistency and feel have also failed to surface on her return to the tour. Add also to all those elements the lack of match play and the lack of fitness and stamina and you don’t have to wonder why Martina’s results have been the way they have been and why her confidence has been shaken to the ground. There is no doubt that someone that talented will not be able to bring her skills back to the table. Her speed will return once her ankle is stronger. Her fitness will return with a little bit of work. Her consistency and feel for the ball will return with on-court practice. But what could hold her back from reaching the top echelons where she should be is her mentality and her confidence which have been seriously dented over the years, and particularly this year. The heartbreaking losses have been plentiful, and the ones in the Grand Slams have been particularly painful given the importance she places on the tournaments and the pressure she feels to justify her place in tennis with these titles. Many believed she was done for after the Roland Garros loss to Steffi Graf in the 1999 final. She did rebound and did regain the #1 position, but she was already starting to lose ground against the heavy hitters who were closing in on her ever so gradually.
The copyright of the article Losing her way. Will she lose her will too? - Page 2 in Women's Tennis is owned by . Permission to republish Losing her way. Will she lose her will too? - Page 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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