When someone like Seles or Pierce beat Graf, I think she thought, "Okay, they overpowered me today, but they can't always play like that, and I can beat them at my best" (up until the 1993 Australian Open, when it looked like Graf lost her belief she could beat Seles). When ASV beat Graf, I think she thought, "Okay, she got back everything and I made too many errors, but there's no way she can beat me when I'm on my game."
Yes, but Graf was a hitter on one wing and a pusher on the other oneGenerally “hitters” don’t like “pushers” and vise versa. (No disrespect meant toward either player).
Grafs slices are way more than just hit back the ball and wait for the error of cource.Yes, but Graf was a hitter on one wing and a pusher on the other one
She wasn't a power player, but whenever I rewatch Hingis, I'm always surprised how much she DIDN'T push. She was constructing, not just getting the ball back until someone else made an error - really directing to spots with purpose. And while she didn't hit super hard, she could really redirect pace well and get it back quickly when she took it early.Generally “hitters” don’t like “pushers” and vise versa. (No disrespect meant toward either player).
That all makes sense. So the hate stemmed from Graf giving Hingis literal sub zero credit for that huge win? Her feelings were rightly hurt and it created negative feelings towards Graf that never receded.
Her main asset was not power but she hit the ball MUCH harder than say Sanchez or Martinez. Except for the rare times Martinez decided to step in and pound the forehand which she had legit ability to do, but that was rare. She was definitely an aggressive player, she took the ball early, redirected it, went for down the line winners, drop shot winners, and tried to finish points at the net outright often. The Williams are the only two who made her look like a pusher, but that was their new age altogether power, plus Hingis herself losing lots of confidence through some tough experiences and losses, and becoming a lot more passive by then.
Good point about Martinez. She REALLY could hit hard if she decided to - even off the backhand, at least on a passing shot. Sometimes I think she waited too long in matches against top players to impose herself, if she ever did. Besides her Wimbledon win, she also made the SFs two additional times. While still probably not her best surface, she at least seemed to understand that she had to be more aggressive on grass, I couldn't play "stand back and loop and chip." I think her last French Open QF against Clijsters she waited way too long to step in and just hit. Same in a couple other big matches.
Hingis was pampered early with words, told how talented she was and how good she could be etc. and she did have a lot of tennis intelligence and ambitions of her own. It certainly did go to her head a bit. When forced to really compete when momentum was going against her, she often didn't deal with that pressure very well. I felt sorry for her in the 1999 French Open final though. That was a bad meltdown from a scared teenager.
Yes but I do think this could have been combated with more weight and strength training which say Henin, who is IMO significantly less talented than Hingis (albeit still extremely talented, don't get me wrong) did to compete more effectively vs the Williams sisters. Hingis with even close to that same commitment could have done fine IMO.
I think John asked Steffi to play doubles, not the other way around? Could be wrong.
I dont' know if they "hated" each other....I never noticed it.....Graf was rather expressionless at times. But Hingis was a master at building points....sure, she had less power, but the way she played the court rivaled the skills of Evert. Pretty sweet stuff.
Didn't she shift to an oversized Yonex frame as well? i seem to recall that
NONSENSE! Hingis was obnoxious. self-loving spoiled brat who thought she was better than anyone else. Once the Williams, Davenport and the Belgians reached their near peak, Hingis's short time at the top was over.
Based on Hingis, when she was 18 years old, saying that the then 19-year-old Mauresmo was "like a man"? Try school playgrounds in the 1990s.
I don’t consider Henin as significantly less talented than Hingis. Besides maybe volleys Henin’s game was superior.
Court believes the old testament, which does in fact say things like homosexuality is a sin. I strongly disagree with the old testament, and believe it was made up nonsense put in place by racists and bigots at the time, which is why it was rewritten into the New Testament, but it is still what her beliefs are based upon.
I have zero interest in 'what her beliefs are based on'. She chooses her beliefs. She chooses how much authority to invest in whichever sources she chooses to base them on. She is 100% responsible for whatever good or damage her beliefs do in her hands. I never blame books or discriminate between secular or religious ones,, however old or cherished they are, for adult choices.
that was a very important call and graf showed the wrong mark, hingis was understandably mad about it. also she still played well after it for some games.
Chances are, many in the crowd were Germans.
I was never a Graf fan, but IMO, Hingis got what she deserved from the crowd. After the Hingis outburst, was the first time I ever rooted for Graf to win a match.
A bit harsh. I wouldn't wish that on any 18-year-old. It was vicious. Her mother at the time seemed more annoyed that her daughter lost her cool than anything else.
Agassi also won a major more recently than Hewitt.
