Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis (b. September 30 1980, in Ko?ice, Czechoslovakia) is a former World No. 1 woman tennis player from Switzerland. During her career, she won five Grand Slam singles titles (three Australian Open, one Wimbledon, and one US Open). She also won nine Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and captured all four of the Grand Slam women's doubles crowns in 1998. She set a series of "youngest-ever" records; however, in the end injuries ended her playing career at the relatively young age of 22.

Grand Slam success

In 1996, Hingis became the youngest-ever Wimbledon champion when she partnered Helena Suková to win the women's doubles title aged 15 years and 9 months. She also won her first professional singles that year at Filderstadt, Germany. She reached the singles semi-finals at the 1996 US Open, and she lost to Steffi Graf in a five-set final at the year-end WTA Tour Championships.

Related Topics:
1996 - Helena Suková - Germany - Steffi Graf - WTA Tour Championships

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In January 1997, Hingis became the youngest Grand Slam singles winner in the 20th century by winning the Australian Open aged 16 years and 3 months. In March, she became the youngest-ever player to attain the World No. 1 ranking. And in July, she became the youngest singles champion at Wimbledon since Lottie Dod in 1887. She went on to win the US Open title by defeating another up-and-coming star, Venus Williams, in the final. The only Grand Slam singles title she failed to win that year was the French Open, where she lost in the final to Iva Majoli.

Related Topics:
1997 - 20th century - Lottie Dod - 1887 - Venus Williams - Iva Majoli

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In 1998, Hingis won all four of the Grand Slam women's doubles titles (Australian Open with Mirjana Lucic, and the other three events partnering Jana Novotná), and became only the third woman to simultaneously hold the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles. She also retained her Australian Open singles title by beating Conchita Martínez in straight sets in the final, and lost in the final of the US Open to Lindsay Davenport. Davenport ended an 80-week stretch Hingis' had enjoyed as the No. 1 single player in October 1998, but Hingis ended the year by beating Davenport in the final of the Tour Championships.

Related Topics:
Mirjana Lucic - Jana Novotná - Conchita Martínez - Lindsay Davenport

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1999 saw Hingis win her third successive Australian Open singles crown. She then reached the French Open final and was three points away from victory in the second set against Steffi Graf, but ended up losing 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. Hingis bounced back from the experience to reach her third consecutive US Open final, where she lost to Serena Williams. Hingis won a total of seven singles titles that year and reclaimed the No. 1 singles ranking.

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Hingis' three-year stranglehold on the Australian Open singles title came to an end in 2000 when she lost in the final to Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 7-5. Though she won no Grand Slams that year, she held on to the No. 1 ranking following nine tournament wins including the Tour Championships.

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Hingis reached her fifth consecutive Australian Open final in 2001, where she lost to Jennifer Capriati 6-4, 6-3. She briefly ended her coaching relationships with her mother Melanie early in the year, but had a change of heart two months later just before the French Open. Hingis underwent surgery on her right ankle in October 2001.

Related Topics:
2001 - Jennifer Capriati

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