THE tennisreporters.net NEWSLETTER: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, No. 16

Hingis' former beau Norman: Martina could still beat Williamses
Chang’s last-year ride gets bumpy start
Michael would like second chance at Sampras in ’96 US Open final

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane Camerawork USA, Inc.

FROM THE SIEBEL OPEN IN SAN JOSE, CALIF – Martina Hingis’ former boyfriend, '00 Roland Garros finalist Magnus Norman, says that should the former Swiss No. 1 decide to come back, she could still challenge the Williamses for the top.

"I definitely think she can beat the Williams sisters if she works at it physically," said Norman. "I think the Williamses are mostly winning matches because they are stronger than they other girls and if she can work at that, she can beat them."

Of course, Hingis told L’Equipe and The New York Times last week that she has retired, but there are some in her camp who believe that she could change her mind some time in the future. Her mother’s longtime boyfriend and her manager, Mario Widner, said so much to L’Equipe. Norman said the world should leave her be.

"She has nothing to prove, not to sponsors, fans, media, not to anybody," said Norman, who dated Hingis for about five months in 2000. "She’s still young. To be a top athlete today, you have to grind on the tour and your body pays the price. When you are away from the tour, you realize there are other things in life. If she decides to walk away, than so be it. She was No. 1 and won a lot of important titles. She has to decide if it’s worth it."

Norman says that Hingis, who is still troubled from an ankle injury as well as problems with the soles of her feet, will have to convince herself that she still has something left to play for.

"She has to know if it’s worth it," he said. "Whether she wants to work and take some losses to players she used to beat and deal with the ups and downs is a question. It can be very tough."

Few players know that more than Norman, who since he reached No. 2 in the world in 2000 has undergone two operations on his left hip and in the off-season underwent double knee surgery. In San Jose, the Swede lost a tough three-setter to Kenneth Carlsen and isn’t quite striking the ball with the authority and depth that he showed in his salad days. But the power baseliner said his knee feels good and he’s ready to give the tour one last shot.

"I’m more mature now," the 26-year-old said. "When I came back from my first hip surgery, I wasn’t playing well and I was thinking I might retire. It was very tough mentally. I was really struggling. But this time I found the desire again to try to come back and be a top player. I’m putting 100 percent into it. I’m giving it one more try, but  if I get injured again, that it."

When he was at the top of the game, Norman was one of the tour’s hardest workers, grinding his opponents down with a never-say-die attitude and a brutish physicality. He believes he’ll gain his speed back, which is amazing if you consider how much torture his left side has been through. And, he doesn’t believe he’ll have to adjust his style to compensate for the multiple injuries.

"I think I can be quick as I was a few years ago," he said. "I just have to put in the hard work and I’ll be able to do as much as I did. But when you get older, you are smarter about how much you practice and what those practices mean. You know how to take care of your body more."

Chang’s last-year ride gets bumpy start
Did Michael Chang have even a smidgen of a chance when he went up against Australian Open champ Andre Agassi on Tuesday at the Siebel Open?

Sure he did, but would have had to play at a level that the '89 Roland Garros champ hasn’t shown fans in six years. And he didn't, as Agassi rolled to a 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Chang – who needed a wild card to get into the event and struggled at the Challenger level in ‘02 – says he’s roaring to go and feels fresher than he has in years. Is it possible that the Chang Farewell Tour will be more than just a love fest?

"I had a lot of time off and for the first time I was able to rest as much as I wanted to and train as I wanted to train," Chang said of his off-season. "It’s a new feeling and very refreshing. I’m hungry and eager to play. I feel good about my game and some of the areas I’ve struggled with in the past have for some strange reason disappeared. My practice matches and training have been great. It’s boosted my confidence level."

One of Chang's greatest attributes is his positive thinking, which is why he was able to pull off so many miraculous comebacks over his 15-year-career. But there were two feats he wasn’t able to pull off that would have made him a Hall of Famer: Winning the U.S. Open and getting to No. 1.

In 1996, he had both those opportunities in his hands in the US Open final. He had just taken down Andre Agassi in a spectacular semifinal and waiting for him was Pete Sampras, a man he used to trounce in the juniors. But Pete jumped on him quick and took him out 6-1, 6-4, 7-6.

"If I had another opportunity, yeah, that would have been it," Chang said. "We had the rain delay early on and I went on court too pumped up. I didn’t play the way I wanted to play and didn’t get into the match in the third set. I felt that had I won the third set, I had a good chance to win the match. I had a set point in the third, got a little unlucky coming into the net and Pete hit a let cord passing shot, I got my racket on it and it didn’t dribble over. It’s a match I would have loved to get back. But you can’t change the past. But there are a lot of things in my career that shouldn’t have happened and did."

For the last couple years, it’s been rare to hear a jolt of eagerness in Chang’s voice. But on Monday, he talked about making his last year on tour a memorable one. On court for a presentation ceremony, Chang let out a yell in anticipation of the Agassi match. Some10,000 tickets have already been sold for the Tuesday night contest, a huge amount for a weekday night in a hardworking city.

Now that he’s knows he’s retiring, Chang feels at ease.

"When I know it’s the last time around, the last drill, the last point, the last point, I always try to make it my best," he said. "This is not different. I know this is the last time I’m going to be in each place. I want to be able to walk away, to give 100 percent and leave on the court. Whether I win a tournament or not, I want to be able to walk away from my career without having any regrets."