Back in 1997. Martina Hingis was the undisputed teen queen of women's tennis. Armed with preternatural talent and an irrepressible grin, the swaggering Swiss opened the season with 37 consecutive wins and fell just one victory short of a Grand Slam sweep. Barely six years later, chronic ankle problems forced Hingis into a premature retirement. Conventional wisdom at the time suggested the increasingly power-dominated game had passed Hingis by. However, subsequent major wins by the likes of Justine Henin-Hardenne and Anastasia Myskina -- players who somewhat resemble Hingis in build and style -- have called that belief into question and given the 24-year-old's fans hope for a comeback. Whether or not Hingis will return to the WTA Tour on a full-time basis could very well depend on how her body holds up over a series of World Team Tennis matches this summer.

Hingis made a special, charity-related return to the WTA circuit for one event in Pattaya, Thailand this past February, losing to Marlene Weingartner in the opening round. Her post-retirement play has otherwise been limited to a series of hit-and-giggle exhibitions. The five match schedule (including four appearances in a six day span) she has lined up as a member of the New York Sportimes will therefore be the first extended test of her game and fitness. In a June 30th conference call, Hingis revealed that she has been earnestly practicing in Saddlebrook, Florida, gearing up for her July 6th WTT debut. "I'm trying to give myself the best chance to do well in World TeamTennis. This is my first appearance and I don't want to disappoint my team." Calling it a "great opportunity to play some matches," Hingis considers WTT a significant step up from one-off exhibitions. "It's more official. You have to play day after day. I'll have to see how my body reacts to it."

Hingis speaks ruefully of the way her professional career "slowly but surely" petered out following her second surgery. "I was so afraid of moving. You can't be 70, 80% when you play these girls anymore." Watching from the sidelines, Martina found herself missing "the crowds when they cheer you on; the thrill when you hit a great shot." Occasional work as a TV commentator for ESPN, Eurosport, and Australia's Channel 7 kept Hingis around the game she loves, but the transition was awkward at best. When I asked if she intends to pursue future TV work, Hingis diplomatically replied, "Maybe in five years down the road, when I'm older." Broadcasting is a realm Hingis was, in her own words, "kinda thrown into" and it didn't come as naturally as her fluid on-court strokes. "I'd have to do some more TV education -- how to talk and what to do. It's more simple when you watch on TV!"

Being trapped behind a microphone during "some matches that aren't that satisfying to watch" only fueled Martina's desire to get back on the court. It was a feeling shared by many fans and experts who long to see more of the flair, creativity, and touch Hingis brought to the sport. "I meant something to the game," Hingis says, citing the cards and letters of support she continues to receive. "Even on TV, they mention me all the time!" The trademark lack of modesty remains, but Hingis is very cautious about embarking on a full fledged comeback, saying that any such decision is "a long way down the road."

If Hingis is looking for comeback-related inspiration, she could find it across the net on July 7th. That's when her Sportimes will travel for a meeting with the expansion Boston Lobsters, led by none other than Martina Navratilova, several years into her own largely successful return to the sport. The anticipated singles match between Hingis and the living legend she was named after would be the first such meeting of their storied careers. "She had retired the year I had started my professional career," Hingis notes, adding that the matchup "will be interesting." Hingis admires Navratilova and has spoken with her on a number of occasions, but has no plans to go easy on the 48-year-old. "On the court, everyone is an opponent. I still have to take it seriously."

"The Battle of the Martinas" won't be the only interesting challenge World TeamTennis poses for Hingis. The raucous WTT atmosphere, with its musical interludes and emphasis on spectator involvement, is chief among them. "I've never experienced it before," she says. "You still have to keep your focus with the crowd noises. That will be the hardest task." Also new to her will be the coaches' ability to challenge line calls via instant replay. "We'll only find out how it works once we test it, so I'm looking forward to it. There's going to be a lot more screaming and yelling, I believe." On The Line will be on hand to document the screaming, the yelling, and the prognosis for a Hingis comeback when the Sportimes face the New York Buzz on July 11th.