Hewitt motivation for Hingis

Martina Hingis said on Wednesday she draws inspiration from the small, lightly-built figure of the world's top men's player Lleyton Hewitt as she bids to regain the women's number one ranking.

Hingis, who stands at 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 metres), said Hewitt, 20, and Masters Cup runner-up, France's Sebastien Grosjean, were prime examples of smaller players able to match it with bigger, stronger opponents.

"It's nice to see that players like them have the chance (to win)," the Swiss player told a news conference.

Hingis, 21, has failed to win a major singles title since her fifth grand slam crown at the 1999 Australian Open in Melbourne.

She required surgery after suffering an ankle injury in October during the semifinal of the Filderstadt grand prix against American Jennifer Capriati.

She then lost the world number one ranking to Capriati, who was also her conqueror at the 2001 Australian Open.

Hingis, who had held the top spot for 73 consecutive weeks, is back after her extended injury break and is defending champion at the Sydney international from January 6 to 12.

The Sydney tournament will be part of her preparations for the Australian Open starting two days later.

FRESH ATTITUDE

Hingis said the break had freshened her attitude to regaining the top ranking.

"It was the first time in my life that I hadn't played for so long," she said.

"I'm not really looking forward to it happening much more often but it was nice to have this break and I'm going into this with a new attitude and new energy.

"The ankle's fine. It's not a factor any more. Of course it's always in the back of your head but I've had injuries before and hopefully this year I'll be fine."

Hingis said she faced less pressure now as the hunter chasing the higher-ranked American trio of Lindsay Davenport, Capriati and Venus Williams.

The former world number one said she needed to work on her court speed and simply getting back into the rhythm of the game.

"There's always plenty of things you need to work on," she said.

Hingis, Australian Open champion in 1997, 1998 and 1999, said she had a good feeling about returning to Australia.

"I always do well here. It's always good coming back to a place where you feel safe and you've had success," she said.