Tennis: Mauresmo says Hingis is `stupid'

AMELIE MAURESMO has described Martina Hingis as "stupid" for making remarks about her build. The muscular Frenchwoman beat world No 1 Lindsay Davenport in the semi-finals in Melbourne last week before losing to Hingis in the final.

Remarks by Davenport and Hingis that the 19-year-old "played like a man" led to much coverage, particularly after the French player announced that she was a lesbian. But Davenport later said she admired the teenager and insisted she had been referring to Mauresmo's style of play. Mauresmo said that Hingis' reported comments were an "unpleasant joke".

Hingis reportedly said that Mauresmo was "half a man", comments she later denied. But Mauresmo said: "Perhaps she just said it for a laugh, without thinking, but the next day she wasn't very clear either in saying that I played like a man. It was stupid of her."