Swiss Miss Martina Hingis rues losses in France
She has conquered tennis courts the world over but the clay ones still rankle
Hyderabad: Martina Hingis has conquered tennis courts the world over but the clay ones at the French Open still rankle. “I have played tennis for a very long time to have some regrets and some really special moments.
But the one that’s right up there is not winning the French Open,” the five-time Grand Slam women’s singles champion told this newspaper in an exclusive interview.
“In the final of 1999 when I played Steffi Graf, I thought I had a fair chance of winning the title. There were some decisions that should have gone in my favour. Back then, there was no referral system and the match referee was a little sluggish.
The replays showed the ball was in and so did the ball mark (referring to the third game of the second set when Graf went 30-0 up). I should have won that final,” she recalled. A lesser-known fact about the Swiss star is that she was born in Czechoslovakia and she had to move to Switzerland at the age of seven after her parents had separated.
“When we moved from Czechoslovakia to Switzerland, it was difficult. I had to leave my friends behind and adjust to new situations. It was not easy but I had to move on. It helped me grow stronger,” she said.
Speaking about the 209 weeks she spent as the No.1 ranked women’s singles player, Hingis said: “When you are in it, you don’t have the time to look back and think if it was a dream or reality. You just have to look ahead. But now that I have retired (from international singles) I have the time to think about it and say, ‘wow, that was something.’ I am really proud of it.”
Her three back-to-back Australian Open titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999 are something she cherishes. “Australian Open has been my favorite hunting ground. The tournament began at the start of the year and I was always up for it.”
Hingis has more Grand Slam doubles title than the singles. In fact she also has a calendar-year doubles Grand Slam in the 1998 against her name. “I enjoy playing the doubles circuit. I have won some really great matches in the doubles category. I won three titles this year Hopefully I will win more,” she concluded.
( Source : dc )
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