WORDS written by another forthright lady, Joni Mitchell, long before Martina Hingis was born. Yet they are fitting testament to a champion who was never truly appreciated for either her stubborn playing skills or her frank attitude.

Hingis is back at the Australian Open, a tournament she once dominated on and off the court. She reached six consecutive singles finals here, winning three, as well as collecting four doubles titles. She was never one to duck a question, and a pile of press clippings provides weighty evidence of the numerous indiscreet opinions that Hingis offered on her opponents. It was here, most memorably, that she referred to the muscular Amelie Mauresmo as “half a man”.

The Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, also incurred her wrath, with their boasts of forthcoming world domination. As long as Hingis was world No 1 — and she held that ranking for 209 of 247 weeks between March 1997 and October 2000 — it was her property, and any verbal challengers were treated with disdain.

Claiming there was anything more than the faintest trace of contrition would be an exaggeration as Hingis, facing up to past misdemeanours, said: “Maybe I experienced a few little misunderstandings that got me into trouble and, looking back, I probably wouldn’t have said things in quite in the same way. At times it was like ping-pong, with the words going back and forth between me and the Williams sisters and their dad.”

Such single-mindedness was bound to stir opinions among fans and resentment among peers. To some, she was the Swiss Miss; others used the disparaging nickname Chucky, pointing out a perceived similarity to the deadly doll from the Child’s Play series of horror movies. And she was undoubtedly capable of torturing her rivals on court.

That’s all behind her. Enforced retirement at 22 ended a career that required a rewrite of the sport’s record books. Peering through a pair of black-rimmed spectacles, Hingis surveys the scene of so many triumphs and seems to be trying to convince herself as she insists: “You know, I’m enjoying living a stress-free life, but sometimes I really wish I could just go out there and have a hit, especially at this tournament, where I have done so well. The Australian Open feels closer to me than any of the other majors. I loved the surface, the atmosphere, the crowds. It all came together for me at this event, but that is all over.”

Any reports of a comeback are without foundation. Two ankle operations have eased the pain that forced her off the circuit, but she insists that her feet were crippled by shoes she was contracted to wear for more than five years, and that she struggles to jog more than 20 minutes on her hotel gym’s running machine.

“It would take a medical miracle for me to play after the surgeries,” says the youngest player to have achieved No 1 status. “Even doubles is not a possibility.”

A year ago, Hingis watched the Australian Open from afar, relaxing at her lakeside Swiss home. Returning to Melbourne, where she is working as a TV commentator, has stirred old emotions. “Watching the matches, you feel competitive when you shouldn’t,” she says. “I start thinking a little too much sometimes. Life is not over, and because of tennis, I should not have any worries, ever. But I played on the circuit for 10 years. I would have kept going if my feet were fine.”

Hingis now gives vent to her competitive inclinations in the equestrian arena, making her showjumping debut near her home before Christmas, when she won a rosette for a clear round on her horse, Darconi. She has also been taking classes in English, and, thanks to some extremely supportive boots, is able to ski. For the past year she has been dating an instructor she first met at the age of eight. After a string of high-profile sporting boyfriends, including golfer Sergio Garcia, and tennis player Magnus Norman, she seems romantically content.

Hingis’s mother, Melanie Molitor, omnipresent as coach during Hingis’s playing days, is also enjoying life off the road and recently opened a tennis school near Zurich. For Hingis, the opportunity of being paid to voice her opinions on tennis is a perfect addition to her portfolio. True to type, she continues to say what she thinks, and she tips either Kim Clijsters or Justine Henin-Hardenne to win the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.