Swiss Will Miss Olympics

Martina Hingis will skip the Sydney Olympics because her schedule is loaded and she is wary of the demands of another hard-court tournament.

"I would like to represent Switzerland in the Olympics, but the workload is too great," the world's No. 1 player told Swiss television on Tuesday.

Unlike the men's Olympic tennis, there are no world ranking points to be gained for women at the Sydney Games. The 19-year-old star also is concerned about the stress of playing too many events on hard courts.

"Martina's health is the most important thing," said her manager, Mario Widmer.

"She has a little problem with her heels ... and she's playing in San Diego, Los Angeles, Montreal, and at the U.S. Open. That makes about five weeks on hard courts. To play on the hard courts at Sydney as well would be risky."

Hingis was eliminated in the second round of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics at age 15.

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