Tennis: Regrets over dig at build, sexuality of Mauresmo

By Foster Niumata

The two best women's tennis players in the world were back-pedalling yesterday after an adverse reaction to their provocative remarks about the masculinity and sexuality of stunning Australian Open finalist Amelie Mauresmo.

Lindsay Davenport, who after her defeat by Mauresmo in a semifinal on Thursday said that at times she felt as if she had been playing a man, returned to the press room yesterday after loss in the doubles final, and said her words had been taken out of context.

Hingis, who will play Mauresmo in the first all-teenage Australian final in 38 years today, had said in ungracious German: "She's here with her girlfriend, she's half man."

Hingis, expecting a grilling, first denied saying the words, then tried unconvincingly to say she was talking about Mauresmo's powerful game.

Mauresmo, a confessed gymrat, has defied conservative convention about her sexuality by openly referring to her girlfriend, 31-year-old Sylvie Bourdon, who has cheered for 19-year-old Mauresmo in the stands.

The muscular Frenchwoman is bidding to become the first unseeded champion in 21 years.

Quizzed, Hingis denied making ther remark. "I didn't say she was half a man."

Q: "You never described her as half a man?"

Hingis: "As half man, who would say that? She's a girl. It's just bad talking, you know."

Q: "What did you say in the German press conference to us who can't speak German?"

A: "Obviously everyone knows she's here with her friend, and that she's a very good player - well, I didn't say she was a good player, but she was, like, on the court she moves very quickly, and just the way she plays, I think it's very unusual in women's tennis. She has got a lot of topspin and it's not the way she, you know, that she is a man, but she plays really like, like a man."

Davenport's comments were backhanded compliments, which Mauresmo accepted, and yesterday Davenport made them clearer.

"I was totally talking about the tennis, but unfortunately you guys love to write about the worst line possible and unfortunately you have probably hurt a very nice girl," Davenport said. "She's an incredible player and I'm sorry that all this happened. I mean, I learned my lesson."

It has been a startling performance by Mauresmo, who began the fortnight ranked 29th and could finish it 14th. From double matchpoint down in her first match against Corina Morariu, she has flourished to defeat the seeded trio of Patty Schnyder, Dominique van Roost and Davenport.

She has met Hingis twice in the last six months and stretched her to the limit both times.

Hingis has for the third year in a row preceded her singles final appearance by winning the doubles, with a third different partner, Anna Kournikova. But that fifth successive Grand Slam doubles victory for Hingis lost its gloss in her poor-taste remarks over her singles opponent today.

A reporter told Hingis that a ticked-off Mauresmo was now more motivated for their final.

"Well," Hingis said, "so am I."