Martina Hingis

Born:: September 30, 1980
Place of Birth:: Košice, Slovakia
Citizenship:: Switzerland
Induction Category:: Recent Player
Year of Induction:: 2013
Highest Ranking: Singles - No. 1
Doubles - No. 1

In 1993, at age 12, Martina Hingis won the girls’ singles title at the French Open, becoming the youngest junior champion ever at a Grand Slam. The following year, Hingis solidified her early dominance on the tennis circuit, when she successfully defended her French Open junior title, won the girls' singles title at Wimbledon, and reached the final of the US Open. In October 1994, a decade after her first tennis tournament and two weeks after her fourteenth birthday, Hingis made her professional debut. She closed out her first professional season ranked world No. 87 and she was named the Female Rookie of the Year by Tennis magazine.

Hingis’ reign over the youngest-ever record books continued through the early part of her career. At Wimbledon in 1996, Hingis became the youngest Grand Slam champion of all time, teaming up with Helena Suková to win the women’s doubles title. She was just 15 years and 9 months old. The following year, Hingis became the youngest woman to win a Grand Slam singles title, winning the 1997 Australian Open at 16 years, 3 months.

Hingis’ remarkable success was even more notable given that she, a petite athlete, rose to the top in an era when the women’s game was becoming more powerful and athletic. While power shots and strength were not necessarily her signature, Hingis put her mind to winning in other ways– literally.

She was a master tennis strategist and it was rare that she lost a match or made an error due to a mistake in the game plan. Her shot selection was of the highest quality—each one delivered with deliberate purpose. She paired her strong mental game with impeccable execution and shot making, ultimately delivering a brilliant game marked with finesse and intent.

Hingis’ masterful game earned her five Grand Slam tournament titles in singles, including three consecutive Australian Open crowns (1997-1999), and one each at Wimbledon and the US Open. She was the year-end world No. 1 in singles three times–1997, 1999, and 2000.

Her success in the doubles arena was impressive as well. In 1998, she won all four majors in doubles, becoming the fourth woman in tennis history to win achieve a doubles Grand Slam. In all, she won eight doubles titles at majors, and one in mixed doubles.

Striking a remarkable balance, Hingis concluded her career with 43 singles titles and 37 in doubles.

Hingis is one of just six women in history to have held the No. 1 singles and doubles ranking simultaneously, an accomplishment she held for 27 non-consecutive weeks. This accomplishment puts Hingis in elite company with Martina Navratilova, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Lindsay Davenport, Kim Clijsters, and Serena Williams.