Martina Hingis made waves in women’s tennis during the 1990s, bursting onto the WTA circuit with record-breaking success. By the age of 16, she had already reached the No. 1 ranking, solidifying her status as a tennis prodigy.
Her meteoric rise, however, was accompanied by a series of controversies, including a multimillion-dollar lawsuit and doping allegations, which ultimately reshaped her career trajectory.
Hingis’s journey to stardom began in what is now Slovakia, where she was born into a tennis family. Her mother, former player Melanie Molitor, and her father, tennis coach Karol Hingis, named her after legend Martina Navratilova. By age five, she had a racket in her hand and was on a path to greatness.
Competing under the Swiss flag by the mid-1990s, Hingis quickly rose to prominence. Before turning 15, she was already a professional on the WTA circuit. Her breakthrough came in 1997 when she won the Australian Open, becoming the youngest-ever World No. 1 at just 16 years and 182 days—an unbeaten record.
Martina Hingis after defeating Mary Pierce at the Australian Open final. (IMAGO / Team 2)
That year, Hingis also captured titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, while finishing as the runner-up at Roland Garros. Her unmatched success as a teenager set the stage for a glittering career.
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More Grand Slam titles than Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal
Hingis accumulated five Grand Slam singles titles, including three consecutive wins at the Australian Open (1997, 1998, 1999). Her dominance extended to doubles and mixed doubles, where she added 13and 7 Grand Slam trophies, respectively. With a combined 25 Grand Slam titles across all formats, Hingis eclipses Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal in total major victories.
Her influence also inspired future legends. Roger Federer, who grew up watching Hingis dominate, once said, “Martina showed us how it was done. She was incredible for Swiss tennis, and I’ll always be her fan.”
Controversy and a multimillion-dollar lawsuit
Despite her early dominance, Hingis’s career took an unexpected turn due to recurring injuries. By the age of 22, she had undergone two surgeries and struggled to maintain her form. In 2000, Hingis filed a $40 million lawsuit against the Italian sportswear brand Sergio Tacchini, alleging their “defective” shoes caused her injuries.
The lawsuit claimed the shoes were “unusable in competition,” with Hingis attributing a 1998 injury at the U.S. Open to their design. However, a U.S. court ruled against Hingis, and Tacchini countersued. This legal battle, combined with ongoing injuries, led to her first retirement in 2003.
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Comeback and doping scandal
Hingis made a brief return in 2006, winning three titles and reaching two Grand Slam quarterfinals. However, her comeback was cut short by a positive doping test at Wimbledon 2007. Hingis denied taking drugs but accepted a two-year ban and announced her second retirement. “I feel 100% innocent,” Hingis said. “I don’t want to spend years fighting doping accusations.”
Final retirement and legacy
In 2013, Hingis returned to compete in doubles, adding multiple titles to her name before retiring for good in 2017. Reflecting on her career, Hingis said, “I’ve always enjoyed doubles more than singles. It’s more fun playing with a partner.”
From being a teenage phenom to facing legal and personal battles, Hingis’s career remains one of the most remarkable and complex stories in tennis history.
