quarta-feira, 5 de maio de 2010

Kournikova and Hingis back together at Wimbledon


(CNN) -- Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova will team up again to play at this year's Wimbledon championships.
The popular pair won the 1999 and 2002 Australian Open doubles titles, but will be returning the SW19 to play in the legends doubles event for players who are retired from the professional circuit, the management company Octagon said Tuesday.
Swiss star Hingis won five grand slam singles crowns and nine in doubles during a glittering career which ended under a cloud in 2007, when she was suspended for two years for testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon.
The 29-year-old denied taking the drug, but did not appeal the ban, which ended last September, prompting speculation that she may attempt a return to the WTA circuit.
Kournikova is a year younger, but has not played regularly on the main tour for seven years after being hit by a string of injuries.
The Russian, who reached a career-high of number eight, made it to the semifinals of the singles at Wimbledon in 1997, but grand slam success eluded her.
The pair were once labeled as the 'Spice Girls' of tennis, with the height of their fame coinciding with the peak of popularity of the British all-girl band, which included David Beckham's wife Victoria.
As well as winning two grand slam titles together, the pair also reached No.1 in the WTA Doubles rankings.
"I'm so excited to be returning to the UK to play doubles with Martina again," Kournikova told her official Web site.
"This tournament has always held a special place in my heart, and it will be a great honor to play on the courts of Wimbledon again. I'm looking forward to having a lot of fun".
CNN