Hingis will not compete in Olympics

World number one Martina Hingis has said she will not take part in the Sydney Olympic Games tennis tournament, claiming it would be too much of a strain.

World number one Martina Hingis has said she will not take part in the Sydney Olympic Games tennis tournament, claiming it would be too much of a strain.

"I would like to represent Switzerland in the Olympics, but the workload is too great," the 19-year-old told Swiss television late last night.

In contrast to the men's event, there are no world ranking points to be won for women at Sydney and Hingis is concerned about taking part in too many hard-court events.

"Martina's health is the most important thing," said Hingis' manager Mario Widmer.

"She has a little problem with her heels ... and she's playing in San Diego, Los Angeles, Montreal, and at the U.S. Open. That makes about five weeks on hard courts. To play on the hard courts at Sydney as well would be risky."

At the Atlanta Olympics, the 15-year-old Hingis went out in the second round.