Following a thrilling career that saw her bloom from a wonder kid to an all-time great, Martina Hingis got her place among the legends after she was formally inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 13th.
Hingis took the tennis world by storm in 1996. At only 15 years and 9 months she became the youngest Grand Slam champion of all time, teaming up with Helena Sukova to win the women's doubles title at Wimbledon. By the end of the season, the teen sensation was already an established top 10 presence, having bagged two titles, reached her maiden major semifinal at Flushing Meadows, as well as her first WTA Championships final. Her real breakthrough though came a year later, in 1997, when she became the undisputed tennis queen.
Nicknamed the 'Swiss Miss', Martina set the record for the youngest Grand Slam champion of the 20th century winning the Australian Open, before becoming the youngest player to top the WTA rankings in March. She would go on to claim two more major crowns, at Wimbledon and the US Open, the only hiccup coming in Paris, where she succumbed to a surprise defeat to Croat Iva Majoli in the final.
Her defining moment came at Roland Garros in 1999. The cocky teen had the world at her fingertips, but a I truly believe the final against arch-rival Steffi Graf marked the beginning of the end for the talented Swiss. Having served for the title, Martina could not control her emotions as she watched the experienced Graf fight her way into the match. In one of the most dramatic battles in history, the German prevailed. The victory gave her the perfect excuse to end the most remarkable careers tennis has seen. Hingis was not the same after the loss. Although she did play several major finals, she could not claim another title. Her consistency helped her retain the No.1 spot, but she was unable to withstood the power of the Williams sisters, Lindsay Davenport, or Jennifer Capriati for much longer.
Martina continued her successful run at the Australian Open where she played six straight finals. She came really close to winning the elusive Slam in 2002 where she led 6-4,4-0, but lost to Jennifer Capriati. Extremely frustrated with her game and her inability to beat the powerhouse players, Hingis called it quits in 2002, at the tender age of 22. She couldn't stay away too much though and she made a sensational comeback in 2006 by winning her first mixed-doubles Slam in Melbourne, where she partnered Indian Mahesh Bhupathi. She also reached the quarterfinals in singles, but her once shining bright halo had vanished.
She once again grew frustrated as she battled minor injuries, and in what came as a huge shock to the world, the Swiss Miss retired for good at the end of 2007 after testing positive for cocaine.
In her short-lived career, she has done it all. All except winning the French where she came really close on multiple occasions. A former world No.1 in both singles and doubles, with fifteen major trophies to her name (five singles, nine doubles and one mixed), the 'youngest-ever' girl of the WTA tour truly deserves her place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Congrats my all-time tennis darling!
Continuing her slew of 'youngest ever' accomplishment, Martina became the fourth youngest player to be inducted, following Tracy Austin (30), Bjorn Borg (31) and Hana Mandlikova (32).
"I'd like to tell you how deeply honored and moved I am to stand here in front of you today in this wonderful place with so much history," Hingis said. "I can only find words to express feelings I have now being a member of such an elite group our sport has elected to represent millions and millions of people worldwide playing tennis. I could repeat the words said so many times before here, that our sport has given me everything in my life, and it would be the truth. But maybe I can add something special, something to give you a little bit more insight about who I am and what this means to me.
"I was born behind the Iron Curtain, and my mother wanted to tear the curtain apart for me. That is the reason I played tennis as a little girl. In 1980, my mother didn't have many choices for giving me a better life and a chance for freedom to see the world. She chose the game of tennis as a way out of the world and the prison we lived in, so thank you, mom. She also gave me the name Martina after Martina Navratilova who was a great legend and a symbol of freedom in our country in Czechoslovakia.
"As the wall came down in '89, also, thanks to this great land of yours, I was already on the way, so thank you, mom, again, you gave me life, you gave me love, you gave me tennis. You gave me everything you could give me. Thank you, tennis. You gave me the world, and now I honestly am out of words, because there are no words to explain what I feel as you gave me a place here for eternity.
"When I was a little girl," Hingis continued, "I didn't know there was a Hall of Fame. When I was at the top of my game, I did not know there was more than sports. As I stand here now in front of you, I am not sure if I deserve all of this, but what more can I say? Thank you all, and I love you all."
Words of Wisdom from the Swiss Miss
Renowned for her juicy comments, Martina was a master at stirring waters and making a fuss. She starred in a number of high-profile 'wars', among which the now infamous verbal clashes with the Williams sisters, her nemesis, Steffi Graf, her doubles partners, Jana Novotna and Anna Kournikova, as well as Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo. Her cocky attitude combined with her utmost sincerity made the delight of the press, but got her into a lot of trouble at times. Here are just a few of her most memorable lines:
- On the comparison with Tiger Woods: “It’s all the time, ‘Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods.’ I am better than he is,” she said in 1997. “I’ve been on top longer and I am younger. I’m just better.”
- Hingis began her career with five straight wins over Monica Seles. After beating her 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the 1997 final in San Diego, Hingis offered her match analysis. ”I don’t know actually how I won this match,” she said. “Maybe because I always beat her.”
- “I’m not a very good morning person,” she confessed at the 1997 Roland Garros. “I’m No. 1 in the world, so I should have the right, if I’m going to play on center court, to say what time I want to play.”
- On her rivalry with good friend and doubles partner Anna Kournikova: “What rivalry?” she asked. “I win all the matches.” She holds a 11-1 head-to-head record against Kournikova.
- About her Australian Open final opponent, Amelie Mauresmo: “She’s here with her girlfriend. She is half a man.”
- About Richard Williams’ claim that the Indian Wells crowd directed racist taunts at his family in 2001: “I wasn’t there. I didn’t see the finals [between Richard's daughter Serena and Kim Clijsters], just heard about it and it was on TV,” Hingis said. “But I definitely don’t feel like there is any racism on the tour. I mean, it’s a very international sport. I even would say because, you know, they may be black they have a lot of other — how do you say — advantages to be where they are. They can always say it’s racism or something like that, and it’s not the case at all. Not from my standpoint.”
- During a coin toss, she asked arch-rival Lindsay Davenport, ”Do you want me to serve or break you?”
- About Graf's lengthy knee surgery in 1997: “If she’s going to come back,” she said of the then-27-year-old German, “for sure it’s not going to be the Steffi as she was. Her career is almost over.”
- In 2011, she was asked about then-No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. “I think I had more game than her,” she explained. “I don’t want to be cocky about this, but I think I had more [weapons]. She’s a great fighter but I outplayed [opponents] and I took the ball earlier and didn’t give them as much time. If she wants to win a Grand Slam, she’s going to have to take charge more. She doesn’t have one great weapon. You need that one little extra thing to overcome.”
One Heck of a Ride
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| At only 15 years and 9 months, Martina Hingis partnered with Helena Sukova to win the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1996. The Swiss became the youngest Grand Slam champion of all time. |
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| Shortly after playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal, Martina pushed all-time great, Steffi Graf, to five sets in the 1996 WTA Season Ending Championships final. |
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| A sensational sixteen years old Martina Hingis took the tennis world by storm winning her maiden Grand Slam crown at the 1997 Australian Open. The victory marked the beginning of the Hingis era, a short-lived, but exciting period. |
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| Hingis was also a gifted doubles player. In Melbourne, she backed-up her triumph in the singles by claiming the doubles title too with partner Natasha Zvereva. |
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| Undefeated since the beginning of the season, Martina fell to a surprise defeat to Croat Iva Majoli in the 1997 Roland Garros final. |
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| Martina came back from a break down in the decider to deny Czech Jana Novotna in the Wimbledon final. The young Swiss was now ruling the world. |
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| Following her Wimbledon triumph, Martina Hingis had the tennis world at her fingertips. The girl with the big attitude was winning hearts with her crafty display on-court and her outspoken attitude off-court. |
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| The Swiss Miss capped an extraterrestrial 1997 season by collecting her third major trophy, winning the US Open following a 6-4,6-0 victory over American Venus Williams in the final. |
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| Young Martina proved no fluke by defending her Australian Open crown. The Swiss beat experienced Spaniard Conchita Martinez in the final. |
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| Hingis successfully defended her Australian Open double, teaming up with Croat Mirjana Lucic to retain the doubles title. |
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| Martina turned the tables on her biggest rival, stunning Lindsay Davenport to win the 1998 WTA Championships. |
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| In 1999 Hingis claimed her third consecutive Australian Open crown, ending the dream run of Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo. |
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| The 1999 Roland Garros proved a decisive moment in Martina's career. Looking poised to complete a career Grand Slam, the Swiss underwent a genuine drama as she eventually fell to German legend, Steffi Graf. Hingis collapsed both mentally and physically and had to be dragged back on court by her mother and coach, Melanie Molitor. |
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| The dream team of Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova lost the 1999 Roland Garros final to the Williams sisters. It marked another missed opportunity for the Swiss, following her dramatic collapse in the singles final. |
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| In 1999, the Swiss reached her third consecutive US Open final, but she succumbed to the power of the opponent, American Serena Williams. |
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| What a couple! Martina Hingis teamed up with fellow Swiss Roger Federer to win the 2001 Hopman Cup in Perth. |
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| In 2002, the Swiss Miss came really close to breaking her Grand Slam duck at the Australian Open. Although she was 6-4,4-0 up, Martina threw away three match points to eventually succumb to American Jennifer Capriati. |
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| Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova were fans favourite doubles team. They won two Grand Slams, both at the Australian Open, in 1999 and 2002. |
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| In her first major since coming out of retirement, Hingis won her fifteen Slam, pairing up with Indian Mahesh Bhupathi to win the 2006 Australian Open mixed doubles crown. |
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| Martina completed a sensational comeback in 2006 by defeating Russian Dinara Safina to win the Premier event in Rome. |
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| Hingis won the last title of her career in 2007 at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. It was Martina's 43rd WTA crown. |
photos: GETTY IMAGES
