Martina Hingis did not bring the Rollerblades for her Central Park skate this United States Open. Too much baggage. She had them when she won her first and only United States Open in 1997, back when she was 16 and unafraid, grinning and winning tournaments as if she were taking an afternoon joy ride. She is still grinning, still the No. 1-ranked player. But no blades.
"Maybe I should have brought them, I won that year," she said yesterday, laughing, before joining the festivities at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the fifth annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day. It was a sun-drenched tennis and entertainment bonanza at the National Tennis Center, brimming with 20,838 people, mostly children, some barely bigger than their rackets.
Hingis enters the 2000 United States Open as the top-seeded woman, but for the first time in four years she comes without having won a Grand Slam tournament in the current year. She has won five tournaments this season, but has not captured a Grand Slam title since the 1999 Australian Open.
Hingis has been overpowered by the hard-hitting Venus and Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport and Mary Pierce at the Grand Slam events. "I'm proud of my success at this tournament," Hingis said. "But this is the future, so let's see what I can make of it. I'm going into it very confident."
Since 1997, she has reached both finals, but lost to Davenport in 1998 and Serena Williams last year. At the Canadian Open last week, Hingis was leading Williams, 3-0, in the third set when Williams retired with a sore foot. But Hingis lost to Davenport in the Australian Open final, the French Open semifinals to Pierce and the Wimbledon quarterfinals to Venus Williams.
"I think she's still very confident and very focused about what she wants to do," said Davenport, seeded second for the United States Open. "She's had a hard time counter-attacking the power game. When she gets to these players she plays hard but she doesn't dictate the points. She's usually in control, so that's kind of an awkward situation to be in.
"In 1997, the harder hitters weren't that consistent. They are more consistent now and there's more of them."
But Hingis, who has been doing limited weight training and speed work, would like to prove at this United States Open that the game is not overpowering her. "I can't say it, I have to go out and show it," she said. "I feel like the best time is ahead of me."
Davenport, 24, is hoping the same. She is recovering from a sprained left foot she sustained 12 days ago, and while the foot is not 100 percent, Davenport has been able to practice nearly to her usual level.
"I feel that the last two weeks was the best I've hit the ball since January or February," she said. "In the middle of the year, even at Wimbledon, I was just getting through matches. I was struggling against people I shouldn't have, just trying to get the ball back. But I feel my shots are there now."
Star-Studded Lineup
The Kids Day stadium show featured the teen pop stars 98 Degrees and Jessica Simpson, and tennis exhibitions, like a match between John McEnroe and Andre Agassi, with the actor Chevy Chase as the chair umpire. The basketball stars Grant Hill and Stephon Marbury were rubbing elbows with Agassi, Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis in the anteroom beneath the stadium.
Proceeds from the day raised $400,000 for the National Junior Tennis League, founded by Ashe, and more than $100,000 from the American Express Skills Challenge raised more than $100,000 for other charities.
A First
Selima Sfar, 23, defeated Anna Zaporozhanova, 7-5, 6-2, in a qualifying match yesterday to become the first woman from Tunisia to play in the United States Open. Also, The World Team Tennis finals went to the tie breaker in the last match, mixed doubles. The Sacramento Capitals, with the mixed doubles team of Brie Ripner and Brian MacPhie, defeated the Delaware Smash team of Mariaan de Swardt and Geoff Grant, 5-4, in the tie breaker, to win the league championship.
The Next Wave
Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are going into the twilight of their careers. But at least for one morning, the constant search for America's future ended up on Court 10 during Arthur Ashe Kids Day.
Armed with wild-card entries into the United States Open, the neophytes Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick and Phillip King were helping children through some playful hitting drills. When the matches begin tomorrow, all three will be riding part of the next-wave niche together. Instead of feeling threatened by one another, most of the young players practice together. In some cases, they share apartments in Florida.
"I think when you start doing well, and there's not that many guys doing well with you, that's when you might feel some pressure," Fish said. "But when you get other guys in the same situation, those are the ones who can push you to succeed. It's a lot harder when you're all alone."
Fish, Roddick and King have all scaled the ranking this year. In just a couple of weeks, Roddick has moved through the 400's and is currently ranked 338. King is ranked 313, while Fish is No. 348. Although all three are miles away from fame (and first-class accommodations), they do not mind having their games dissected for traces of Sampras- and Agassi-like talents.
"To look at Andy Roddick -- and he has an awesome serve -- to say his serve is Sampras-like is an honor to him," Fish said. "Sampras has one of the best serves ever. So to even be associated with that name for anyone is really cool."