Martina Hingis believes she has rediscovered the perfect preparation formula after hooking up again with her mom and deciding not to defend the French Open doubles title.

Hingis, fresh from reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros with a 6-1, 6-4 victory against Italian Francesca Schiavone, is feeling fitter than ever now that she does not have the distraction of doubles matches.

And she feels the presence of her coaching mother Melanie Molitor, back on board after the two severed their ties earlier this season, is keeping everything ticking off court, as well.

"I couldn't have made a better decision than having my mother here," said the top-seeded Swiss, who is chasing the one Grand Slam singles title to elude her.

"She helps me with everything, right from waking up in the morning. I know I don't have to set my alarm clock.

"She gets me through the day. Everything is scheduled. Otherwise, I have to think about what I'm going to do every minute of the day.

"I still have my privacy and I still make my own decisions but I know she will always back me up if I need to do something.

Hingis's mom is also helping her daughter in practice sessions at the clay-court event.

"Practising with her during my days off is great," she said. "I can be more confident, rely on my strokes.

"The mental game is so important to me. I mean, physically I'm not going to hit aces or just kill the balls. I have to play my game."

Hingis won the doubles title last year with Mary Pierce, the Frenchwoman who beat her in the semifinals on her way to the singles title, but said it was an easy decision for the pair not to defend their crown.

"It was a decision we agreed on soon after the Australian Open," Hingis said. "I've never felt this good in previous years because I was always a little bit tired towards the end of the tournament.

"Like last year, playing with Mary in the doubles and then she beats me in the singles. It was a little disappointing.

"That was one of the reasons I just really wanted to concentrate this year only on singles. It looks like I made the right decision."

Hingis has played so well in her run to the semifinals for the fifth successive year -- she next takes on fourth-seeded American Jennifer Capriati -- that her main problem could be overconfidence.

"I started off very well against Schiavone, like in my other matches," she said. "Then I got overconfident with the way I was playing and in the second she started to do better.

"It got a little tougher so I was happy to get through in straight sets," Hingis added. "I feel physically and mentally a hundred percent and each day I feel better."