Former world No. 1 Martina Hingis won a record-breaking fifth Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo last Sunday, adding the title to the ones she won in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002. It was her third Tier 1 title since returning to the WTA Tour in January 2006 after coming out of a three-year retirement because of foot and ankle injuries. The Swiss 26-year-old, who won the Australian and U.S. opens and Wimbledon in 1997, and the Australian Open in '98 and '99, has climbed back up the world rankings to No. 6 since her return, surprising many with the ease with which she has re-acclimatized to the game after a lengthy absence. Hingis talked about her journey from teenage prodigy to career renaissance via early retirement in an exclusive interview with The Japan Times while in Tokyo last week.
Comebacks are always risky. Muhammad Ali made one too many and suffered the consequences. Soccer great George Best never hit the heights he had previously reached after returning from a premature retirement and quickly spiraled out of control thereafter.
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| Martina Hingis, pictured during an exclusive interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo, has made a remarkable return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour after a three-year injury enforced absence and the Swiss star has quickly risen to No. 6 in the world rankings. JAMES MULLIGAN PHOTO |