Martina Hingis

A name is a name is a name. Two great players, Martina Navratilova and Martina Hingis, share a common name. Both are the same, yet are so different. One born in Czechoslovakia and the other in Switzerland, each has left an indelible mark on Womens tennis. Both were great singles and doubles players, both played with their heads as well as with their hands and feet, and both in their individual ways will be remembered for their contribution to the game, when so many others are long forgotten. The legendary accomplishments of Martina Navratilova will never be equaled, the tennis records she owns will probably stand forever, and when people in the distant future discuss the greatest Women athletes of any sport, the name of Martina Navratilova will always come to mind. Her career spanned two generations of tennis players, she was the Number One player for 7 years. She dominated her sport, and is still playing on the World Team Tennis circuit as a guest celebrity. This elder Martina won 18 singles and 41 doubles Grand Slam titles, including a record 9 Wimbledons. Over the course of her long career she won 167 singles titles and 178 doubles titles. It seems unbelievable that when we talk about the new crop of players who reach the top ten in the world, we praise them for winning 2 or 3 titles or their first Grand Slam when in the same breath we talk about Navratilova who won 345 titles!

Martina Navratilova

The younger of the two Martinas, rose to the top of the rankings when she was barely out of diapers, and when she thought a training bra was some kind of pet that needed tuition. She won her first Grand Slam title when she was sweet sixteen in Australia, she was the youngest Wimbledon winner ever, and was the youngest player to reach the top ranked spot. She won a total of 14 Grand Slam titles and remained at the top for 4 years. Always ready to share a joke or speak her mind, she became a controversial figure on and off the tennis court, and although banned from participating in competitive Australian open tennis she still heads up Team Martina Hingis in charity and celebrity events. She is a friend of Anna Kournikova, and the two of them make a remarkably glamorous pair. She brought her own brand of magic to the tennis court, and although she never possessed any over powering shots, her selection of beautifully placed shots dominated her competitors.

Like her namesake she had soft hands and the knack of being able to play the right shot at the right time, her volleys were exceptional which is one of the reasons she was so good at doubles, but as good as she was she did not compare to the volleying expertise of the older Martina. But then nobody did. I have checked the records but have been unable to find an occasion when they played against each other. Maybe now that they are both retired they will meet in a friendly celebrity match.

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At the sweet age of sixteen she became the youngest top ranked player ever, she also became the youngest winner of a Grand Slam event and the youngest winner of Wimbledon. She won the Australian Singles title 3 times in 1997,’98, and ’99, she won both Wimbledon and the US Open in 1997. In doubles she won the Grand Slam in 1998, on a run that included 4 titles in Australia, 2 at Wimbledon and one each in New York and Paris. She held the rank of Number 1 player for 209 weeks!

At the age of just 22 she retired to have surgery performed on her right ankle. She attempted a comeback in 2005, and worked her way back up to number 7 in 2006. She played her last game in 2007 at the China Open.

Never a popular player with her competitors, Martina’s off beat sense of sarcastic humour was often misunderstood and reported out of context by the press. She was accused of making racist remarks about the Williams Sisters, derogatory remarks about her former doubles partner Novotna, and off colour statements about the English press. She caused a buzz wherever she went both on and off the court, and when she teamed up with Anna Kournikova in doubles, the press had a field day. For Anna it was her opportunity to finally win a tournament. She’s been stalked by some crazy guy, she’s dated golfer Sergio Garcia, but she will always be remembered as one of the smartest young women to play the game of tennis. She wil be sorely missed at the 2009 Australian Open.

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