Hingis announces comeback bid

Martina Hingis says a return to World Tennis Association play has been in the back of her mind for the last five or six years, essentially since her last appearance in 2007.

Recently, she has stuck to World TeamTennis competition. On Tuesday night, playing for the Washington Kastles, she won two of her three sets against the Freedoms at Villanova's Pavilion.

Hingis is only 32 but has been away from major competition long enough to earn her a spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. To earn induction, a player must not be a "significant factor" on tour for five years.

Still, she had been tempted to attempt a comeback.

"I always was thinking about it," Hingis said.

And so before her match Tuesday, Hingis announced that she would play doubles with Daniela Hantuchova at the Southern California Open, a WTA tournament. The tournament starts July 27.

Hingis said coaching players like Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova convinced her to try a second comeback. (Her first attempt in 2006 ended after she tested positive for cocaine.)

"I saw how well they did if you give them a few tips," Hingis said. "I think there is an opening, definitely. I'm not saying that I'm going to be world-changing."

The Freedoms have reeled after their most talented player, Sloane Stephens, was forced to withdraw before the season with an abdominal injury. After a 22-18 loss to the Kastles, the Freedoms fell to 1-6.

Hingis easily won her mixed doubles and singles sets against the Freedoms, but she dropped her women's doubles set.

Is she ready for a return to elite competition?

"We'll see," she said. "I'll give it a try. I have nothing to prove. If it goes well, great, if not, I had a great career."