Yulia Putintseva Is About To Move Into Top 100

Written by: Staff on 21st February 2013

Yulia Putintseva Is About To Move Into Top 100

epa03591910 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan returns the ball to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland during the third day of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 20 February 2013. EPA/ALI HAIDER |

Yulia Putintseva, who only turned 18 years of age last month but is set for a career high ranking next week, maintained the influence former Grand Slam champion and world no.1 Martina Hingis is a major factor in her movement up the world rankings.

Putintseva, Moscow-born but one of the number of Russians who have pledged their international allegiance to Kazakhstan, is ranked 101^st in the world this week but looks like moving higher after beating fellow teenager Laura Robson at the Dubai Duty Free Championships.

The youngster is a member of the Patrick Mouratoglou Academy just outside Paris where Hingis is one of the contracted coaches. And Putintseva enthused about the input of the 32 year-old who had won her five Grand Slam singles titles before she was out of her teens.

“It was really great that Martina helped me a lot,” said Putintseva, who initially earned a brief two weeks stay at the Mouratoglou Academy by impressing its’ owner at a junior event in France. “She’s helping a lot with the game on the court.

Because she was world no.1 she has great experiences she can pass on to me.

“She’s also teaching me a lot to stay more calm and more technical things; to see the ball better, and to turn the shoulders better.”

Last November Hingis accompanied Putinteseva to a $75,000 ITF event in Dubai which the youngster reached the final, losing out to the Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm who is more than twice her age. As a result she was able to make her full Grand Slam debut at January’s Australian Open where she scored a first round victory against American Christina McHale.

Hingis is not permanently on the road with Putintseva but the 18 year-old said: “When I go back to the academy Martina is always there. When I need help I just ask her and she always helps me a lot.

“Plus I can always talk to her on the telephone or message her. I say things like: ‘Can you please come and practice with me?’ She’s like: ‘Sure, what time? It’s really nice.”

Most of the time Putintseva travels with her father Anton who doubles as a coach. But she has never practiced with the most foremost member of the Mouratoglou set-up Serena Williams.

“I hit with Martina a lot but never with Serena,” said Putintseva. “I’ve practiced on the next court to her sometimes. I wish I could play with her but I’m shy to ask.”

Topics: Martina Hingis, Patrick Mouratoglou, Russian tennis news., WTA tennis news, Yulia Putintseva