Martina Hingis: fight or forfeit?

Well, I think retiring at the signs of the first allegations was a bit suspect, and her silence now only looks worse. If she was innocent would she not have said something by now??

Very disappointing end to her otherwise successful career. Drugs...and cocaine at that. Pretty big let-down.

All after the fact. I'm sorry but its too late they hade their chance to bust her at the time of the alleged offence, but they blew it and now it is just way too late and unfair. I infact think she should counter sue for deformation of character.

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update

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On November 1, 2007, Hingis said at a press conference in Glattbrugg near Zurich that she was retiring permanently from competitive tennis. She admitted that she had tested positive for cocaine during Wimbledon in 2007. But Hingis maintained her innocence, saying, "I have tested positive but I have never taken drugs and I feel 100 per cent innocent." She also said, "I would personally be terrified of taking drugs. When I was informed [about the test] I was shocked and appalled." She is not planning to contest the positive drug test because it could take years. "Because of my age and my health problems, I have also decided to retire from professional tennis." The drug test results were released to Hingis after her third round loss to Laura Granville at Wimbledon, with both "A" and "B" urine samples failing the tests. Hingis then underwent a private drug test on a hair sample, which came back negative and, according to Hingis, is evidence that she did not use cocain.

-Nathiest
live for lust die for love

Martina Hingis is an amazing tennis player, so on one level, it's a shame to see her go down like this, whether or not the allegation is true.  And given the fact that cocaine is not a performance-enhancing drug - at least not when it comes to tennis - I see no reason to strip her of her winnings, the same way I saw no reason to strip Ross Rebagliati of his Olympic snowboarding gold after he tested positive for marijuana.

But you know what?  I've never quite forgiven Hingis for her "half a man" comment about Amelie Mauresmo back in '99.  So if she ends up going down in flames, I'll have a hard time being sympathetic. . . and, in fact, a little part of me will enjoy feeling a bit vindictive.

Whether she did cocaine or not I will continue to cherish the memories of the force that was Hingis in the 90s. In my tennis universe she will forever be one of the best female players to ever hit the ball on the court.

The other thing that swirles through my mind is slightly more disturbing (at least for me). It seems that every athlete I ever really admired sooner or later turn in a positive doping test. Is this part of some unknown law of nature or is it simply a sign that every top athlete, no matter what sport, is using/will be suspected of using illegal substances at some point in their careers? And still, I can't shake the habit of following sports...

For a merrier life, befriend the elephant in your room.

I think with today's technology, it's nearly impossible to escape this kind of accusation.  Yes, it's still an accusation.  She does have the right to defend herself, but like the issues surrounding Major League Baseball, once you've been named a suspect, it is going to tarnish your reputation.   For the record, I have never been a big fan of Hingis and I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.  To me she has always been a spoiled brat on the court and has portrayed numerous times her poor sportsmanship.  She has been nagged with injuries for years and maybe she turned to cocain to deal with it.  Maybe she didn't.  I will believe she didn't when and if she fights this accusation.  It will make it very difficult for me to believe her if she just gives a statement but doesn't fight for her "innocence". 

You know the funny thing about society is that we are very forgiving.  Look at a personal favorite of mine Jennifer Capriatti.  She was on drugs and in trouble with the law for years, but she had one of the greatest sports comebacks in 25 years.  Society forgave her and rooted for her success.  At this point, it will be difficult for Hingis if she really has retired due to injuries, she won't be able to prove herself on the court any longer.  All I can say is good luck, you're gonna need it.

"Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from."

Cocaine is more dangerous than performance enhancing drugs because it affects the brain, not the body.

Anyways, its not like she won Wimbledon so to me it doesn't matter. Anyone who does drugs during a sporting event should be punished.


Kind of reminds me of Ross Rebagliati. The dude was higher than a kite when he did his snowboarding run at the olympics in 1998 after smoking weed. And he won gold, then had it taken away because of a drug test that showed signs of THC. Then the board reversed their decision and gave him back his medal. They should have banned him from snowboarding but they didn't

Ok instead of debating ability and skill levels on or off drugs since none of us are pros or coke addicts (I hope) so we can't judge what we know nothing about.  Let's look at the facts.  Hingis is 27 and in professional tennis years that is past your prime.  It's not quite retirement age but it sure is close.  To fight this would put Martina close to 30, which is retirement age.  She made her comeback and accomplished her goal of top 10.  She realizes she will never be the best again and really the only thing that could lie ahead is a promising career as a doubles specialist which I would have loved to have seen.  She can retire now and start up a nice tennis academy or club.  She has plenty of money.  Maybe she can do some commentary.  While this is very sad, I think Martina was at the end of her singles career anyway.  Best of luck and I wish her only the best.     

"Humans are inscribable, written on by experience."
-Franz Boas