The Martini Hingis tennis comeback ‘feel good story’ has been derailed. It was revealed on Thursday that the five-time Grand Slam champion tested positive for cocaine at Wimbledon this past year, on the same day she lost a straight set match in the third round. She denies that she’s ever taken drugs and will immediately retire, rather than face a mandatory two-year ban to be levied by the World Tennis Association:
I am frustrated and angry,” the 27-year-old Hingis said at a news conference in Zurich, Switzerland, her voice breaking as she fought back tears. “I believe that I am absolutely, 100 percent innocent.”
“I find this accusation so horrendous, so monstrous, that I have decided to confront it head-on by talking to the press,” Hingis’ statement said.
…although the formerly No. 1-ranked Hingis said she’s retiring in part because she doesn’t want to spend years dealing with the legal process. [LINK TO STORY]
I like this strategy. Run and retire, yet tell the world you’re going to “face it head on”. It makes perfect sense and is completely rational, since it doesn’t indicate any guilty when you cower under pressure and quit when accused of something bad. Right? Damn, she must have a fantastic PR machine running that Hingis bus.
The best way to confront allegations involving cocaine is to keep on, keepin on and face the music, while continuing your profession. I learned this from a friend of mine, a famous Cuban who once said:
What you lookin’ at? You all a bunch of fuckin’ assholes. You know why? You don’t have the guts to be what you wanna be? You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your fuckin’ fingers and say, “That’s the bad guy.” So… what that make you? Good? You’re not good. You just know how to hide, how to lie. Me, I don’t have that problem. Me, I always tell the truth. Even when I lie. [LINK TO MY FRIEND]
