Martina Hingis
- Born:
- September 30, 1980, Košice, Czechoslovakia [now in Slovakia] (age 44)
Martina Hingis (born September 30, 1980, Košice, Czechoslovakia [now in Slovakia]) is a Swiss professional tennis player who became the youngest person in the “open” era to win a Grand Slam singles title and the youngest to be ranked world number one. In her relatively short, injury-plagued career, she won five Grand Slam singles titles—the Australian Open (1997, 1998, 1999), Wimbledon (1997), and the United States Open (1997).
Hingis, who was named for the legendary tennis player Martina Navratilova, was introduced to sports by her mother, Melanie Molitor, a former top tennis player in Czechoslovakia, and her father, Karol Hingis, a tennis coach. The younger Hingis could ski and play tennis at three, and she began entering tennis tournaments at five. Following her parents’ divorce, she moved with her mother to Trübbach, Switzerland, at seven. Molitor then began coaching her daughter in tennis intensively, and Hingis improved rapidly. At 12 she became the youngest-ever Grand Slam junior titlist when she won the 1993 junior French Open. In 1994 Hingis won in France again and then became the youngest junior Wimbledon champion weeks later.
In October 1994, shortly after her 14th birthday, Hingis turned professional. Three months later she became the youngest player to win a match at a Grand Slam event when she advanced to the second round of the 1995 Australian Open. Partnered with Helena Sukova, Hingis became the youngest player ever to win at Wimbledon when the pair took the doubles title in 1996. Hingis’s decision to turn pro at such a young age, however, was controversial. Soon after her pro debut, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) instituted new rules that prohibited 14-year-olds from regular tour events and limited the number of tournaments in which 15–17-year-olds could compete.
Hingis opened 1997 ranked fourth in the world and won six straight tournaments, including the Australian Open. With that victory she became, at age 16, the second youngest player ever to win a Grand Slam; Lottie Dod had won Wimbledon at age 15 in 1887. During the year Hingis also gained the top ranking. Not known for her power, Hingis instead dominated opponents with smart play and a diverse range of shots. Her winning streak was halted when she was upset by Iva Majoli in the French Open final, but she rebounded to win at Wimbledon and at the United States Open. Over the next several years, she often advanced to the finals at the Grand Slam tournaments and won the Australian Open in 1998 and 1999. In 2001 she underwent ankle surgery but reached the finals at the 2002 Australian Open, where she was defeated by Jennifer Capriati.
Plagued by further injuries, Hingis retired in 2003. Two years later, however, she returned to the WTA. Injuries and the rise of powerful players, notably the sisters Venus and Serena Williams, limited her wins. In 2007 Hingis retired from professional tennis after announcing that she had tested positive for cocaine at that year’s Wimbledon. Although she denied having taken the drug, she received a two-year ban. Her career totals included 43 singles titles and 10 Grand Slam doubles titles (women’s and mixed doubles). In addition, she had been ranked number one for 209 nonconsecutive weeks. Hingis subsequently competed in seniors events.
In 2013 Hingis was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Later that year she returned to the WTA, playing doubles events. She won an additional 10 Grand Slam doubles titles before retiring for a third time in 2017.