Martina Hingis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Martina Hingis

Hingis at the 2016 French Open
Country (sports)	Switzerland
Residence	Feusisberg, Switzerland
Born	(1980-09-30) 30 September 1980 (age 44) Košice, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia)
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Turned pro	1994
Retired	2017
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US,749,074 14th in all-time rankings
Int. Tennis HoF	2013 (member page)
Singles
Career record	548–135 (80.23%)
Career titles	43
Highest ranking	No. 1 (31 March 1997)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (1997, 1998, 1999)
French Open	F (1997, 1999)
Wimbledon	W (1997)
US Open	W (1997)
Other tournaments
Grand Slam Cup	SF (1998)
Tour Finals	W (1998, 2000)
Olympic Games	2R (1996)
Doubles
Career record	490–110 (81.67%)
Career titles	64
Highest ranking	No. 1 (8 June 1998)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2016)
French Open	W (1998, 2000)
Wimbledon	W (1996, 1998, 2015)
US Open	W (1998, 2015, 2017)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals	W (1999, 2000, 2015)
Olympic Games	F (2016)
Mixed doubles
Career record	54–12 (81.82%)
Career titles	7
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	W (2006, 2015)
French Open	W (2016)
Wimbledon	W (2015, 2017)
US Open	W (2015, 2017)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	F (1998)
Hopman Cup	W (2001)
Coaching career (2013–2015)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2013) Sabine Lisicki (2014) Belinda Bencic (2015)
Coaching achievements
Coachee singles titles total	2
Coachee(s) doubles titles total	2
Medal record Representing  Switzerland Olympic Games Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Doubles

Martina Hingis (born 30 September 1980) is a famous Swiss former professional tennis player. She was the first player from Switzerland, both male or female, to win a major tennis title and become the world's number one player.

Martina spent a total of 209 weeks as the world's top singles player. She also held the number one spot in doubles for 90 weeks. For 29 weeks, she was ranked number one in both singles and doubles at the same time!

She won 5 major singles titles, 13 major women's doubles titles, and 7 major mixed doubles titles. That's a total of 25 major titles! In 1998, she even won all four major women's doubles titles in one year, which is called a Grand Slam. She also won the year-end WTA Finals twice in singles and three times in doubles. Martina also earned an Olympic silver medal in doubles in 2016.

Martina Hingis set many "youngest-ever" records in the 1990s. She became the youngest Grand Slam champion and the youngest world number one. She had to stop playing professional tennis in 2003 because of injuries to her ankles. She was only 22 years old then.

After recovering, Martina returned to the WTA Tour in 2006. She climbed back up to world number 6 and won two big tournaments. She retired again in November 2007 due to a hip injury.

In 2013, Martina came back to play doubles. During this time, she won 4 major women's doubles tournaments and 6 major mixed doubles tournaments. She also won 27 WTA Tour titles and another Olympic silver medal in 2016. Martina Hingis retired for the third and final time in 2017, while still ranked as the world's number one doubles player.

Many people consider Martina Hingis one of the greatest tennis players of all time. In 2013, she was chosen to be part of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Two years later, she became the Hall of Fame's first Global Ambassador.

About Martina's Life

Martina Hingis was born in Košice, Czechoslovakia (which is now Slovakia). Her parents, Melanie Molitorová and Karol Hingis, were both tennis players. Her mother was a professional player who wanted Martina to become a top player from a very young age. Her father was also a highly ranked tennis player in Czechoslovakia.

Martina spent her early childhood in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm (now in the Czech Republic). When she was seven, she moved to Switzerland with her mother. Martina learned to speak Czech, German, English, and French. She has a daughter named Lia, born in 2019.

Martina's Tennis Journey

Martina Hingis started playing tennis when she was just two years old! She entered her first tournament at age four.

In 1993, at 12 years old, Martina became the youngest player to win a junior Grand Slam title. She won the girls' singles at the French Open. The next year, she won the French Open junior title again and also won the girls' singles title at Wimbledon. She made her professional debut in October 1994, just after turning 14.

Grand Slam Success (1996–2000)

1996: Youngest Grand Slam Winner

In 1996, Martina made history by becoming the youngest Grand Slam champion ever. She won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon with her partner Helena Suková. Martina was only 15 years and 9 months old! That year, she also won her first professional singles title in Germany. She reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the semifinals of the US Open.

1997: World Number One

The year 1997 was amazing for Martina. She became the World Number 1 women's tennis player. She won the Australian Open at 16 years and 3 months old, making her the youngest Grand Slam singles winner in the 20th century. She also won the Australian Open women's doubles title.

In July, she became the youngest singles champion at Wimbledon since 1887. She then won the US Open. The only major singles title she didn't win that year was the French Open, where she was the runner-up.

1998: Doubles Grand Slam

In 1998, Martina achieved something incredible: she won all four Grand Slam women's doubles titles in one year! This is called a Calendar Year Grand Slam in doubles, and she was only the fourth woman in tennis history to do it. She also became only the third woman to be ranked number one in both singles and doubles at the same time.

She also won her second Australian Open singles title that year.

1999: More Australian Open Wins

In 1999, Martina won her third straight Australian Open singles title, as well as the doubles title with her partner Anna Kournikova. She reached the French Open final but lost. She also reached her third straight US Open final, where she lost to 17-year-old Serena Williams. Martina won seven singles titles that year and got back her number one singles ranking.

2000: Consistent Play

In 2000, Martina reached both the singles and doubles finals at the Australian Open again, but she lost both. She won the French Open women's doubles title with Mary Pierce. Even though she didn't win a Grand Slam singles tournament that year, she kept her year-end number one ranking because she won nine other tournaments, including the WTA Tour Championships.

Injuries and First Retirement (2001–2003)

2001: Facing Challenges

In 2001, Martina and Roger Federer helped Switzerland win the Hopman Cup. Roger Federer later said that Martina helped him become the player he is today.

Martina reached her fifth straight Australian Open final in 2001, but she lost. Later that year, she lost her number one ranking. In October 2001, she had surgery on her right ankle.

2002: More Injuries

After recovering, Martina won the Australian Open doubles final in early 2002. She also reached her sixth straight Australian Open singles final, but she lost a very close match. In May 2002, she needed another ankle surgery, this time on her left ankle. After this, she struggled with injuries and couldn't play her best.

2003: First Retirement

In February 2003, at 22 years old, Martina Hingis announced she was retiring from tennis. She said it was because of her injuries and the pain she was in. She wanted to play tennis just for fun and focus on horse riding and her studies.

By this time, Martina had won 40 singles titles and 36 doubles titles. She had been the world number one singles player for a total of 209 weeks.

Coming Back to the Game (2005–2007)

2005: A Small Return

In February 2005, Martina tried to come out of retirement for a short time. She played in a tournament in Thailand but lost in the first round. She then played in World Team Tennis in July, winning some matches against top players. Because of these good results, Martina announced in November that she would return to the WTA Tour the next season.

2006: Winning Again

At the Australian Open in 2006, Martina reached the quarterfinals. She also won the mixed doubles title with Mahesh Bhupathi. This was her first major mixed doubles title.

She continued to play well, beating top players like Maria Sharapova and Lindsay Davenport. In Rome, she won her first singles title in over four years, which was her 41st WTA Tour singles title. She reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and finished the year ranked world number 7.

2007: Another Tournament Win

At the Australian Open in 2007, Martina reached the quarterfinals again. She then won her next tournament, the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. This was her record fifth singles title at this event.

A hip injury caused her to miss the French Open. She played at Wimbledon and the US Open, but the hip injury continued to bother her. She did not play any more tournaments after the China Open that year.

Second Retirement and Comebacks (2007–2012)

Martina Hingis retired from tennis for the second time in 2007. She played some exhibition matches, which are friendly games not part of the official tour.

2010: Doubles Hints

In 2010, Martina played in the World TeamTennis tour. She also reunited with her former doubles partner Anna Kournikova to play in an invitational event at Wimbledon. This made people wonder if she might return to the WTA Tour in doubles.

2011: Legends Titles

In 2011, Martina and Lindsay Davenport won the French Open Women's Legends title. They also won the Wimbledon Ladies' Invitation Doubles title, beating Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotná in both finals.

2012: Defending Wimbledon

Martina and Lindsay Davenport successfully defended their Wimbledon Ladies' Invitation Doubles title in 2012. They beat Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotná again in the final.

Second Return and Doubles Success (2013–2017)

2013: Hall of Fame and Doubles Return

In July 2013, Martina Hingis was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In the same month, she announced she was coming out of retirement again to play doubles tournaments. She played in several events, including the US Open.

2014: US Open Doubles Finalist

Martina returned to the WTA Tour in doubles at Indian Wells, partnering with Sabine Lisicki. They won their first title together in Miami, which was Martina's first title since 2007.

At the US Open, Martina and her partner Flavia Pennetta reached the final without losing a set. They finished the season by winning two more titles together.

2015: Five Major Doubles Titles

Martina had a fantastic year in 2015. She won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open with Leander Paes. This was her first Grand Slam win since 2006.

She then partnered with Sania Mirza, and they became a very successful team. They won three big tournaments in a row: Indian Wells, Miami, and the Family Circle Cup.

In July, Martina and Sania won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon. This was Martina's first Grand Slam in women's doubles since 2002. The very next day, Martina also won the mixed doubles final at Wimbledon with Leander Paes.

In September, Martina won two more major titles at the US Open. She won the mixed doubles with Leander Paes and the women's doubles with Sania Mirza. At the WTA Finals, Martina and Sania won the doubles title, finishing a truly amazing year.

2016: Mixed-Doubles Career Grand Slam

Martina and Sania Mirza continued their winning streak in 2016, winning titles in Brisbane and Sydney. They then won the doubles tournament at the Australian Open, which was their third Grand Slam title in a row.

Martina achieved a special milestone at the French Open. She won the mixed doubles title with Leander Paes, completing her mixed-doubles Career Grand Slam. This means she had won all four major mixed doubles titles at some point in her career. She became only the fourth woman ever to complete a career Grand Slam in both women's doubles and mixed doubles.

Martina also won a silver medal in women's doubles at the 2016 Rio Olympics with Timea Bacsinszky.

2017: Three Major Titles and Final Retirement

Martina started 2017 with a new doubles partner, Chan Yung-jan. They quickly found success, winning their first title together at the Indian Wells Open. They then won back-to-back titles in Madrid and Rome. Martina's victory in Madrid was her 100th WTA career title!

They also won back-to-back titles in Mallorca and Eastbourne. At Wimbledon, Martina partnered with Jamie Murray in mixed doubles and won the championship.

At the US Open, Martina won both the women's doubles with Chan Yung-jan and the mixed doubles with Jamie Murray. This brought her total Grand Slam titles across all types of doubles to 25.

Martina and Chan continued their winning streak in China, winning two more titles. With these wins, Martina returned to the world number one ranking in doubles in October.

Martina Hingis announced her retirement at the WTA Finals in Singapore in October 2017, ending her incredible career while still at the top of the doubles rankings.

Martina's Playing Style

Martina Hingis was known for her smart and clever playing style. Even though she wasn't the most powerful player, she made up for it with amazing movement, being able to guess where the ball would go, and great control of her shots. She was very good at planning her points and using the whole court.

Her two-handed backhand was one of her strongest shots, and she often used it to hit powerful shots down the line. She was also excellent at the net, often finishing points there. Martina's serve wasn't super fast, but it was reliable. She was also one of the best at returning serves.

Martina was comfortable playing on all types of tennis courts, but she never won a singles title at the French Open.

Records and Achievements

Martina Hingis holds many impressive records in tennis:

• She won the Australian Open singles title three times in a row (1997–1999).
• She reached the Australian Open singles final six times in a row (1997–2002).
• In 1997, she won two Grand Slam titles without losing a single set.
• In 1997, she reached the finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single year.
• In 1998, she achieved the Calendar Year Women's Doubles Grand Slam, winning all four major doubles titles in one year.
• She was the youngest ever Grand Slam winner, winning Wimbledon doubles at 15 years and 9 months old.
• She was the youngest ever Grand Slam singles winner at the Australian Open at 16 years and 3 months.
• She became the youngest world number one player in tennis history.
• She was the youngest ever year-end number one player in 1997.
• She held the number one ranking in both singles and doubles at the same time in 1998.
• Martina won 43 singles titles, 64 doubles titles, and 7 mixed doubles titles in her career.
• She spent 209 weeks as the world number one singles player, which is the fifth most in history.
• In 2015, she won three Grand Slam Mixed Doubles titles with Leander Paes, a rare achievement.
• She is the only player in the Open Era to win the Australian Open singles and doubles titles three years in a row.

Awards and Honors

Martina Hingis has received many awards throughout her career:

• 1994: ITF Junior Girls Singles World Champion.
• 1995: WTA Newcomer of the Year.
• 1996: WTA Most Improved Player of the Year.
• 1997: Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year.
• 1997: WTA Player of the Year.
• 1997: ITF World Champion – Women's Singles.
• 1997: BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year.
• 1998: WTA Doubles Team of the Year (with Jana Novotná).
• 1999: WTA Doubles Team of the Year (with Anna Kournikova).
• 1999: ITF World Champion – Women's Singles.
• 1999: ITF World Champion – Women's Doubles (with Anna Kournikova).
• 2000: ITF World Champion – Women's Singles.
• 2006: Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year.
• 2013: Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
• 2015: First Global Ambassador for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
• 2015: WTA Doubles Team of the Year (with Sania Mirza).
• 2015: ITF World Champion – Women's Doubles (with Sania Mirza).
• 2017: WTA Doubles Team of the Year (with Chan Yung-jan).
• 2017: ITF World Champion – Women's Doubles (with Chan Yung-jan).

Martina won almost every major WTA Tour singles title at least once in her career, except for the French Open. She also won almost every major WTA Tour doubles title. By reaching the 2016 French Open mixed doubles final, she joined a special group of players who have reached the finals in all four Grand Slams across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

Tennis Gear

Martina Hingis's tennis clothes are made by Tonic Lifestyle Apparel, and she even has her own clothing line called Tonic by Martina Hingis. She uses Yonex racquets and shoes.

In the 1990s, she was sponsored by Sergio Tacchini and later by Adidas from 1999 to 2008.

Images for kids

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  Martina Hingis (right) with doubles partner Anna Kournikova at the Sydney WTA tournament, 2002

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  Martina Hingis at the Australian Open, 2006

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  Martina Hingis at the Zurich Open, 2006

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  Martina Hingis in Miami, Florida, 2007

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  Martina Hingis with the New York Sportimes, 2011

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  Hingis practicing at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, August 2013

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  Hingis at Aegon International Tennis, June 2014

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  Hingis and Mirza after winning the 2015 Wimbledon doubles title