As Martina Hingis Matured

AS MARTINA HINGIS MATURED and developed as a tennis player, her mother served as coach, adviser, and mentor. But when Martina and her mom parted in 1999, the superstar discovered the difficulty of facing competition alone.

In Wimbledon’s first round, Hingis drew 16-year-old Jelena Dokic, who was ranked 129th in the world. These two players had met earlier in the year in the third round of the Australian Open with Hingis winning easily 6–1, 6–2.

But in this pairing, Dokic performed fearlessly from the baseline, answering Martina’s desperate drop shots with drop shots of her own. Jelena served powerfully down the stretch. She controlled the match by keeping the ball deep and not allowing Hingis to push forward to the net or hit winning angles that traditionally accompanied her compact ground strokes.

The Yugoslavian-born player captured the match 6–2, 6–0 in only 54 minutes. On match point, when Hingis’s backhand sailed long, Dokic wheeled around to face her father in the stands as she thrust both arms into the air. She became the lowest-ranked player to defeat a No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam event. Her victory also marked only the third time since 1968 that the top-ranked player had lost in a Grand Slam first round.

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POINT The 18-year-old Martina Hingis faced difficulty when she left her mom’s guidance. And her actions cost her on the court. On the other hand, Dokic still enjoyed the loving support of her dad in the stands.

Many young people can’t wait to go to college or move out on their own. And the time comes when this happens in every family. But when a daughter or son learns wisdom, independence, and maturity through years of loving instruction, everybody benefits from the move. If not, their decisions can prove disappointing, disgraceful, or disastrous.

God’s plan is for parents to love and nurture their offspring to maturity. Then their sons and daughters leave the family nest for adult success.

GOAL! What are some of the best things your parents have taught you?