U.S. & World

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ― Tennis commentator Mary Carillo doesn't rule out the possibility that Martina Hingis used cocaine, but is more concerned with the way drug testing is conducted in professional tennis – and the void that Hingis' absence will leave in the women's game. Hingis retired yesterday after revealing she had tested positive for cocaine.

"Is it possible Hingis used cocaine around the time of Wimbledon? Yes, though I'd be very, very surprised to learn that she's got a serious drug problem," Carillo told CBS in an email.

"I certainly do not consider cocaine to be a performance-enhancing drug," she went on. "The tragedy of Vitas Gerulaitis' career will never leave me," Carillos said, referring to the late American star, who struggled with a drug problem.

Martina Hingis said Thursday that she tested positive at Wimbledon. She then proclaimed her innocence and retired from tennis for a second time.

It was a swift and stunning end to a career highlighted by five Grand Slam singles titles and a rise to the top of the rankings at 16, the youngest No. 1 ever.

Her voice breaking, her eyes moist, Hingis read from a prepared statement at a news conference in Switzerland, then departed without taking questions.

"I find this accusation so horrendous, so monstrous," the 27-year-old Hingis' statement said, "that I have decided to confront it head-on by talking to the press."

What she decided not to do is fight the doping case, saying it could drag on for too long.

"I am frustrated and angry. I believe that I am absolutely, 100 percent innocent," read Hingis' statement, released by her management.

It concluded with the vow: "I have never taken drugs."

"It's a terrible pity that Hingis is leaving the sport under a cloud of suspicion," Carillo said. "It doesn't help her case or her cause to walk away now, especially because she so fervently denies any wrongdoing.

"The most frustrating thing about drug testing in my sport is how long it takes to get results, to hold tribunals, to finally hear about these things. All this happened four months ago."

Hingis tested positive June 29, the day she was upset in straight sets by Laura Granville of the United States in the third round at Wimbledon. That was her first tournament after missing 11/2 months with hip and back injuries.

"I just didn't want to miss Wimbledon," Hingis said at the time. "Probably at the end of the day, it wasn't, like, the smartest thing."

Although doping charges usually are announced by a sports league or event, athletes first are told if a sample tests positive. A second, backup sample then is tested. Mario Widmer, Hingis' manager, said she learned of the first positive test result in mid-September and the second two or three weeks later.

Hingis said she hired an attorney who found "various inconsistencies" with the urine sample from Wimbledon.

"He is also convinced that the doping officials mishandled the process and would not be able to prove that the urine that was tested for cocaine actually came from me," she said.

Hingis' game lacked the raw power of some of the game's big hitters, but her creative, clever style of play made her one of the most entertaining women on the court.

"The very worst part of all this is that one of the very few truly interesting, intelligent match players of the new millennium is retiring," Carillo said. "No one plays like Hingis – no one else could."

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)