‘And now she’s back in the atmosphere, with drops of Jupiter in her hair…’ (Train- Drops of Jupiter).
The song was made long before Hingis’ comeback, but I’ve always thought it describes her comeback rather accurately. It’s the story of a girl who comes back from a ‘soul vacation’, and the guy realizes she’s changed. She’s not the same one as before, and he wonders if she found herself during that time apart, and if she misses him in the mean time. It’s a pretty song, like I said, and it does fit what Hingis did during those 3 years.
People have been questioning Hingis’ performance in recent months. Two consecutive losses to Daniela Hantuchova, a 3rd round exist to a relative unknown player in Miami, people were left wondering what exactly happened to the ‘reluctant rebel’ who, in part, made tennis what it is today. They were questioning her and more importantly they were doubting her. For good cause, because as many pointed out, it is not normal for a player of that caliber to exit in the 3rd round.
I remember when she lost in Miami. I was angry and I lashed out at a friend- ‘whatever problems Hingis is having, she should sort them out. If it’s physical or mental, I really don’t care, but that kind of performance is unacceptable’. Again, it was said in a moment of anger. As fans, we do have expectations which, in a way, Hingis is obliged to meet. We are demanding, especially when it comes to players who were or are number 1 world wide, players who once captured our hearts and imaginations and have had us under their spell ever since.
Hingis is, in a way, the prime example of a fan’s selfishness. We love her unconditionally, just as long as she is winning. The moment her winning form falters, we are the first ones to question her comeback, to murmur that her time is up and to whisper “enough is enough”. After her 3rd round loss in Miami, how many people believed that she should just give up her comeback? It would later become obvious that Serena Williams wasn’t just going to fade away, maybe she should just ‘save herself the embarrassment’ and quit now before it gets too much for us to bear.
That makes fans out to be selfish, and to a degree we are. We choose our loyalties when it suits us, only a fraction of us support Hingis unconditionally. I am not one of them and I doubt I could ever be. Not because I don’t love Hingis, because I do, but it is more because I have “other loves” and I could never commit myself to one player unconditionally. But I still feel it is unfair, to other fans and to Hingis herself, to just support her when she is winning and to turn our backs on her when she is not. She is bound to have ‘off’ days, why should we criticize her for that? Why do we look at her as if she committed a crime when she isn’t flawless?
And why, when she withdraws for a tournament, do we automatically assume that it is because she is “afraid” of a certain player? When I first read it, I honestly thought I misread it. Hingis is not afraid of Serena Williams. Why should she be? Because she won the Australian Open? Surely not. Serena Williams is not a player to fear, Justine Henin proved so during the final in Miami. Yes, Williams ultimately won it, but the first set was won 6-0, and it wasn’t to Williams.
It is not in Hingis’ nature to be afraid of a player, especially one like Williams. Hingis is far too arrogant for that. She knows she’s talented, she knows she’s smarter than Williams. She knows that. She isn’t afraid of anyone, except maybe herself. She has the biggest expectations of what she is capable of. She knows what she can do, she knows she can beat Williams if she puts her mind to it. She has done it on other occasions in the past. Why should today be any different? Because Serena Williams is winning again? What does that change?
People were criticizing Hingis when she wasn’t playing her best. She withdraws from a tournament, because of injury, and people attack for that. What more does she have to do? She wasn’t playing her best tennis, she recognizes that. She is taking her time to come back to her best form, and so she withdraws from Charleston. And people want her to play anyway? Hingis is brilliant when she is healthy, when she is fit. She loves pleasing the crowd; she does it when she’s 100%.
She lives for that kind of rush, when the crowd is silent for a beat as they process that shot, as they ask themselves how she could have made it from that angle. And then they realize it is Hingis on the court, and there’s a roar of approval. And there’s a flicker of pride in Hingis’ eyes. Yet that look dies when she doesn’t make that shot. And there is no roar of approval, and the crowd is silent because they’re asking themselves what really happened to their ‘reluctant rebel’.
Fans have a right to be selfish, it is, to a certain extent, what makes them fans. They live for the rush of players competing, of never quite knowing what to expect when any player, Hingis or otherwise, steps onto the court. It is part of the game. But part of being a fan is also accepting that your favorite player will not always play at their absolute best. There will be days when they will lose to players they probably shouldn’t, there will be days when they will withdraw from tournaments they would probably win. Reluctantly, it is something we must learn to accept. I can’t speak for others, but I’d rather Hingis left me speechless because she is playing well than at lost for words because she is losing to a relative unknown player.
