Hingis surgery goes well,
future still unclear

Surgery to repair Martina Hingis's left ankle went smoothly on Monday, her doctor said, but it is too early to say whether the former world number one will be able to resume her tennis career.

"The operation went very well. I am very satisfied," Dr Heinz Buehlmann said after the 90-minute surgical procedure in which he replaced two damaged ligaments.

The Swiss athlete's foot is now "absolutely stable" but will take six to eight weeks to heal, he said.

Both her heels are inflamed, a condition that should now clear up if the operation has been successful, Buehlmann said. Weeks of rest should also help the knee and hip problems that have plagued the 21-year-old.

It is too soon to say whether Hingis's health problems could end her playing days, the surgeon said, noting he was keeping a close eye on the inflammation problem in her heels.

"If that returns, the prognosis would be bad," he said.

Hingis withdrew last week from the French Open, the one Grand Slam title she has yet to capture. Health problems made her miss this month's German and Italian Opens as well.

Without a major win since the 1999 Australian Open -- her fifth grand slam trophy -- Hingis has suffered several disappointments lately.

While a painful ankle injury which needed surgery brought her 2001 season to a premature end last October, this latest setback poses the most serious threat to her career.

Hingis's mother and coach Melanie Molitor has speculated that her daughter's joint damage may have been caused by the shoes she wore from the age of 11 until three years ago.

Hingis is involved in a legal battle with manufacturers Sergio Tacchini after alleging their shoes damaged her feet.

Already slipping down the rankings, Hingis's absence from the French Open, which starts on May 27, marks the first time she will miss a Grand Slam event since turning professional in October 1994.