One of the differences between Martina Hingis and her erstwhile beau Sergio Garcia is that when the golfer plays a shot his ball is not returned by one of the Williams sisters.
Serena Williams, the muscular world No 1, says that she and Venus, her older, taller sibling, dominate women's tennis
because they have finesse as well as power.
Regrettably for the aesthetic appeal of the sport, Hingis lacks the power to capitalise on unrivalled finesse.
This is evident in terms of Hingis' serve, which, while not a Gabriela Sabatini powder-puff, is limp enough to be punished so severely that her back-up skills become redundant. Her fastest delivery this year was only 167km/h (104mph).
While Serena Williams, who has eclipsed Venus as well as everybody else, talks about the possibility of a "Serena Slam" by adding January's Australian Open to the singles titles she won this year at the French Open, Wimbledon and the United States Open, Hingis licks her wounds.
Hingis, having ended her season early to consider the implications of her depressing form since undergoing surgery to her left ankle in May, is not even certain to compete in Australia.
Formerly the brightest young thing to grace the courts, the 22-year-old Swiss national is ranked No 11 in the world and has been unable to add to her five Grand Slam singles titles since winning the 1999 Australian Open, although she held four match points against Jennifer Capriati in this year's final before wilting in the Melbourne heat.
Capriati, a born-again heroine last year after winning her first Grand Slam singles titles in Australia and France, became so stressed this season when expected to curb the Williams sisters in the absence of Hingis and Lindsay Davenport, another injured former world No 1, that she declared she was "taking the pressure off" and would simply play for herself.
Speed of serve alone does not a champion make, otherwise Elena Baltacha, the British No 1, who hit the fourth fastest delivery on the WTA Tour last year - 190km/h (118 mph) at Wimbledon - and is fourth in the list again this season (186km/h at Wimbledon) would rank higher than No 154 in the world.
But the concussive power generated by the strong, athletic Williams sisters on virtually every shot, serve, return and groundstroke from the first point to the last, is all-consuming. Most opponents pray for for them to miss the lines or hit the net.
As Hingis says: "Four of five years ago the game was slower. You had more time to think where you were going to hit the shot. Today you have to react so fast. It's so much speedier."
Hingis knows that her opponents do not have to think twice before returning her serve.
"Even like a year ago I was hitting harder serves than I am today, so I have got to think about what I have been doing there."
How much has sheer power taken away from the construction of points? "The first two, three shots, maybe that's just like hitting hard, through the middle or just not too close to the lines," Hingis says.
"Once you manage that, then you can start playing more angles. That's always been part of the men's game. That's where the women's game is moving towards, because now it's more physical."
Hingis grew up admiring the pace and determination of Monica Seles, whose two-handed grip on the game was loosened not by an opponent but by a deranged spectator who stabbed her in the back in 1993.
Seles, who turns 29 on December 2, continues to make an impression on younger rivals. She defeated Hingis in straight sets in the quarter-finals of the US Open last month and ensured that the Williams family could not win all four majors by eliminating Venus in three sets in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
Seles, a strong link in the recent history of the women's game, having overtaken Steffi Graf, who ended the era of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, is well placed to judge the evolution of the sport.
"The game has changed. The game went through a very stagnant period from '93 to '96, I think. In '97 the girls started to get bigger, stronger, faster. You see the girls now are six feet tall. Everyone has a 100 mph serve."
In 1997, Hingis became the youngest player to hold a No 1 ranking (16 years, six months and one day).
Richard Williams, who predicted that his daughters would rule the game, said Hingis' legs were too short for her to stop them.
Venus Williams was rather more analytical.
"When Martina came on the scene people had a tough time figuring out her game, and that gave her a lot of success," she said after becoming the first of the sisters to reach No 1 this year.
While Hingis considers ways to improve her strength and endurance, Seles concentrates on longevity and enjoying what remains of her career.
"I'm going to play competitively as long as I enjoy it, as long as my body lets me play. But I do know one thing, that I'll play tennis for ever, really, because I love the sport."
More power to Monica's elbow. And Martina's.
The new order in women's tennis
* * * WTA Top 10 * * *
1. Serena Williams (US)
Height: 1.77m (5ft 10in)
Weight: 67kg (10st 7lb)
Fastest serve: 191.5km/h (119mph)
2. Venus Williams (US)
Height: 1.85m
Weight: 62kg
Fastest serve: 201k/mh.
3. Jennifer Capriati (US)
Height: 1.75m
Weight: 63.5kg
Fastest serve: 185km/h
4. Amelie Mauresmo (Fr)
Height: 1.75m
Weight: 67kg
Fastest serve: 183km/h
5. Kim Clijsters (Bel)
Height: 1.72m
Weight: 67kg
Fastest serve: 180km/h
6. Jelena Dokic (Yug)
Height: 1.75m
Weight: 59kg
Fastest serve: 168km/h
7. Monica Seles (US)
Height: 1.8m
Weight: 70kg
Fastest serve: 177km/h
8. Justine Henin (Bel)
Height: 1.67m
Weight: 57kg
Fastest serve: 173km/h
9. Daniela Hantuchova (Slovak)
Height: 1.85m
Weight: 55kg
Fastest serve: 175km/h
10. Lindsay Davenport (US)
Height: 1.88m
Weight: 78.5kg
Fastest serve: 178km/h
* * * 1997 WTA Top 10 * * *
1. Martina Hingis (Swit)
Height: 1.7m
Weight: 57kg
2. Jana Novotna (Cz Rep)
Height: 1.75m
Weight: 61kg
Fastest serve: 186km/h
3. Lindsay Davenport (US)
Height: 1.88m
Weight: 78.5kg
Fastest serve: 178km/h
4. Amanda Coetzer (SA)
Height: 1.57m
Weight: 53kg
5. Monica Seles (US)
Height: 1.8m
Weight: 70kg
Fastest serve: 175km/h
6. Iva Majoli (Croa)
Height: 1.72m
Weight: 60kg
7. Mary Pierce (Fr)
Height: 1.77m
Weight: 66kg
Fastest serve: 172km/h
8. Irina Spirlea (Rom)
Height: 1.75m
Weight: 66kg
Fastest serve: 175km/h
9. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Sp)
Height: 1.67m
Weight: 55kg
10. Mary Joe Fernandez (US)
Height: 1.76m
Weight: 63.5kg
Note: In 1997 only five of the top 10 players served fast enough to be included in the 21 fastest serves recorded. The two fastest serves were by Brenda Schultz (198km/h) and Venus Williams (191km/h), neither of whom were in the top 10.
- INDEPENDENT
One of the differences between Martina Hingis and her erstwhile beau Sergio Garcia is that when the golfer plays a shot his ball is not returned by one of the Williams sisters.
Serena Williams, the muscular world No 1, says that she and Venus, her older, taller sibling, dominate women's tennis
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