Wednesday August 29, 2001 |

Just in case anyone really cared, the U.S. Open started Monday. Coming as no surprise to me, the first story to break from the tournament has nothing to do with tennis. Instead, it's the conflict that has arisen between the tennis world's biggest spoiled brat, Martina Hingis, and the talented, yet erratic, Williams sisters.

In an interview with Time magazine, Hingis comes out and blasts the Williams sisters, saying they're using the race card to their advantage, allowing them to cash in on sponsorships with image-conscious corporations.

The ongoing feud between Hingis and the sisters is rooted in pure jealousy over the amount of money they make, in comparison to the little that Hingis brings in.

Hingis' popularity continues to slip as tennis fans can't really find a place for her in their hearts. Anna Kournikova has the looks, Jennifer Capriati has the story of redemption, and the Williams sisters have the intrigue that compels you to watch. As well as a psychopathic father.

Hingis has turned into "that girl" who nobody likes, on the tour and in the public. Many are waiting for her to make that next (and perhaps final) fatal step in her career.

Well, wait no further.

Hingis boldly stated in the article, "Being black only helps them, many times they get sponsors because they are black. And they have had a lot of advantages because they can always say, 'It's racism.' They can always come back and say, 'Because we are this color, things happen.'"

Her contempt for the Williams sisters stems from the fact that although she has remained ranked No. 1 in the world, she has failed in her last 10 attempts to win a major championship. If she were on top of her game, Hingis wouldn't be worried about anyone else's sponsorship deals. But she's clearly not, and now she has finally given the media something to talk about, other than her tanking another Grand Slam.

Hingis realized she may have erred in her comments to the magazine, but she did a poor job at either apologizing or further attempting to qualify her statements at Monday's press conference.

"I just maybe said something which is not politically correct," said Hingis, "but I don't know. I don't know all the laws, all the rules that are going on in this country. I mean, if you expect that from me, it's too much."

This is a woman who has made her entire career by playing in American tournaments. She seems comfortable winning American money. It seems that her only problem with America is decorum.

Hingis didn't stop with her "culture" excuse, though.

"You always have respect about whatever you say. You don't always want to judge other people. Doesn't matter what race you are, what color they are. It might turn back on you, turn against you."

What? Maybe Hingis' problem isn't American culture, it's the English language.

Serena Williams responded to Hingis' claims with a proper answer, surprisingly enough.

"As for being black and getting more endorsements because I'm black," Williams said, "I wouldn't know anything about that. All I know is I get endorsements because I win and work hard."

Although racism still exists in American culture, it would be safe to say that all athletes - black or white - are not only treated well, but also relatively equal across the board. The color of your skin doesn't matter as much as your appeal to the American public, or the rest of the world.

Does Tiger Woods receive his contracts because he is black or because he is on pace to shatter every record in golf by the time he is 35?

Or what about Michael Jordan, whose pockets are lined by many large corporations that want to associate their product with one of the biggest winners in the history of basketball?

Not only are these two men superstars, they are Americans, which also increases their popularity. Hingis just doesn't posses the qualities that appeal to the American consumer.

And with her latest outburst, she never will.

The next time Hingis steps on the center court at the U.S. Open - now named Arthur Ashe Stadium after the first prominent African-American in tennis - maybe she can begin her lessons in American history.

But I have a feeling she just doesn't care.