|
Martina Hingis Profile |
|
-
Birth Date: September 30, 1980
-
Birth Place: Kosice, Slovakia
-
Birth Name: Martina Hingis
-
Height: 5'7"
|
|
|
Biography |
Martina Hingis was born in what is now regarded as Slovakia
on September 30, 1980. Some time after, her parents divorced
and her mother, Melanie Molitor, moved her daughter to
Switzerland, her home ever since. Her mother has been the
driving force in her life and has served as her only coach
throughout her illustrious career.
A fantastic player in her own right, her mother imparted to
Martina an uncanny ability to control a match and finish a
point with flair and flawless technique. So sure was she
that her daughter would become a tennis star, that she named
her after the most celebrated female player at the time of
her birth, Martina Navratilova. A symbol of tennis dominance
and freedom because of her defection to the United States,
Navratilova represented the type of player and person
Molitor wanted her daughter to become.
By the age of four, Hingis was competing in tournaments and
displaying a natural talent to strike the ball. Two years
later she was playing against girls over the age of nine.
Athletic pursuits were her life at the time, as she would
participate in tennis clinics by day, play a soccer game in
the evening and then hit more balls at night. Martina also
demonstrated a love for horseback riding that has persisted
to the present day.
Hingis blitzed through the Swiss ranks as a child, winning a
succession of tournaments and becoming the under-18
champion. At the unbelievable age of 12, Martina won the
junior French Open and announced her presence to the tennis
world. Two years later, she took advantage of the lax age
restriction rule on tour and joined as a professional. Her
impact was immediate as she began to upset more experienced
and older players en route to becoming a dazzling sensation
on the court and off. At the end of the year, Hingis cracked
the top 100.
Her career since then has been nothing short of spectacular,
with five Grand Slam titles and the designation as one of
the best doubles players of all time. Before the advent of
the power game on the female tour with women like Venus and
Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati,
Hingis dominated and took over the mantle held high by
Steffi Graf as the best in the world.
She has had to fight harder to succeed as of late with
increased competition and an injury bug, but her record is
intact. With 40 career titles in singles, a slew of doubles
triumphs and millions of dollars in prize money, Hingis has
an important place in tennis history. |
|
|
Other
Information |
Named after Martina Navratilova.
Singles Slam Titles: 1997, 1998, 1999 Australian Open; 1997
Wimbledon; 1997 US Open. Doubles Slam Titles: 1996, 1998
Wimbledon; 1997, 1998, 2002 Australian Open; 1998, 2000,
2001 French Open; 1998 US Open.
Youngest-ever to rank #1 on March 30, 1997 (16 years, 6
months), and spent 209 of the next 247 weeks at #1 between
1997 - 2001. At age 12, she became the youngest-ever Slam
junior titlist (1993 French Open); became the youngest-ever
Wimbledon junior champion at 13 years, 276 days (1994).
Won 2 Australian Open Doubles titles with Anna Kournikova. |
|
|
|
