Tennis: Hingis heads for the hills after exit

LONDON - Speculation began to mount yesterday over the wellbeing of world tennis No 1 Martina Hingis after she followed her shock first-round Wimbledon loss to Australian Jelena Dokic by pulling out of the doubles.

A brief statement from tournament referee Alan Mills said Hingis had withdrawn from doubles play due to an unexplained medical ailment.

"Miss Martina Hingis has unfortunately had to withdraw from the ladies' doubles due to a recurring medical problem," the statement said.

Following her 2-6 0-6 loss to Dokic, Hingis said she needed a break from tennis.

"I think I need to take some time off - take a break and recover again," she said.

But Hingis, who came in for stinging criticism after her tearful storming off the court following her defeat in last month's French Open final by Steffi Graf, denied she was having difficulties off the court.

This was despite the fact that her mother, Melanie Molitor, was not at the match - the first time in her daughter's participation in a Grand Slam tournament that she has not attended.

Hingis, aged 18, said she had decided to spend some time apart from her mother in an apparent attempt to forge a more independent career.

Meanwhile, Dokic's sponsorship value boomed because of her win over Hingis, but her management team say they will not be rushing to sign new contracts.

Dokic's agents and her family had already knocked back several sponsorship offers before Wimbledon, accepting only those of Head tennis rackets and Fila shoes.

And her agents, Advantage, say they will continue to be selective in their choice of backers for the 16-year-old, despite acknowledging that such a win at such a venue would lead to prospective sponsors queuing at her door.

"Obviously you can't choose a better place to beat a number one player than at a Grand Slam, particularly Wimbledon," said her Washington-based agent, Ivan Brixi.

Brixi said Dokic's parents, Damir and Liljana, had been excellent in sifting through sponsorship offers for their daughter, who is also a straight-A student in her high school studies, done mostly by correspondence.

Dokic has knocked back offers to endorse drinks, eyewear, a hotel and restaurant chains, and a loan institution.

Dokic's father was ejected from the DFS Classic at Birmingham earlier this month for calling officials at his daughter's match "nazis" and was later arrested for obstructing traffic.