THE Medibank International in Sydney next month shapes as the likely first stop on Martina Hingis's comeback tour if the former world No.1 decides to resume her career during the Australian summer.
Hingis, who yesterday announced her surprise decision to return to the tour after three years on the sidelines because of chronic foot and ankle injuries, will decide within a week if she will contest the Australian Open with her management saying there is a possibility the 25-year-old will play here for the first time since 2002.
"January is definitely in the mix, she definitely feels she is ready to come back now and be competitive, but we are not certain at this stage," said Lisa Chaffey of Octagon management. "It could be January but it also could be February or March."
A strong hint Hingis is considering making her comeback here came on Monday when Hingis's agents phoned Australian Open tournament director Paul McNamee. "I had some informal contact from them just telling me the release was going to come out," McNamee said. "There was nothing yet about whether she was coming, but that's clearly a chance."
McNamee believes Hingis's incredible success at the Australian Open, where she reached six consecutive finals, and her liking for the conditions - she has a Rebound Ace court in her backyard in Switzerland - will make it tempting for her to play.
Hingis contested the Medibank International and the Australian Open back-to-back on her visits to Australia between 1995 and 2002, winning both titles three times. With the teams already announced for the Hopman Cup, where Hingis also made regular appearances, McNamee said he had a "gut feeling" she would play in Sydney first if she decided to come.
Medibank International tournament director Craig Watson said he had not yet heard from Hingis. "But I certainly won't be giving away all the wildcards until she's made up her mind," he said. "It would create an awful lot of interest if she played here."
Chaffey said Hingis's representatives in America would begin mapping out a comeback schedule in the next week. Although she will not have an official ranking, Hingis will be able to pick and choose the tournaments she plays, having applied to the WTA Tour for "gold exempt emeritus status", a category that entitles players who have won three or more grand slam titles to unlimited wildcards.
Having given up the game at 22, Hingis says she has recovered from her foot and ankle injuries and felt ready to resume a career in which she won five grand slam singles titles, became the game's third-highest money winner behind Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova and, at just 16 years and six months, was the youngest player to hold the No.1 ranking.
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