"I'd hope she'd be a little bit nervous"- When Martina Hingis preferred to play Steffi Graf ahead of Monica Seles in French Open 1999 final
Martina Hingis stated that she would prefer facing Steffi Graf instead of Monica Seles in the 1999 French Open.
Graf and Seles played the last match of their famous rivalry in the semifinals of the tournament. The German won 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 to reach the title clash of the clay-court Major for the ninth time in her career.
Here, she was up against the then-World No. 1 Martina Hingis, who beat defending champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-3, 6-2 in the final four.
The Swiss said after the match that she would prefer to play Steffi Graf in the final ahead of Monica Seles since the latter beat her in the semifinals of the 1998 French Open. Hingis also stated that she hoped the German would be a little nervous due to her past absences.
"I pretty much actually would prefer playing Steffi in a way, because I lost to Monica last year. Steffi, with the absence the last two years, I'd hope she'd be a little bit nervous," Martina Hingis said.
Steffi Graf eventually went on to beat Hingis 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in the final to win her 22nd and final Grand Slam singles title. The German eventually went on to retire from tennis in 1999, with her last tournament being the TIG Classic in San Diego, where she retired in her second-round match against Amy Frazier.
Steffi Graf leads 7-2 in the head-to-head against Martina Hingis
Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis locked horns on nine occasions, with the German coming out on top seven times.
The first meeting between the two came in the quarterfinals of the 1995 Open Gaz de France in Paris, and Graf won 6-2, 6-3. The first time Hingis beat the German was in the quarterfinals of the 1996 Italian Open, winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Her second and final win over Graf came in the quarterfinals of the 1999 Pan Pacific Open, where she triumphed 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
The two locked horns in four Grand Slam matches, and the German triumphed in all of them. These included the first round at Wimbledon 1995, the fourth round at Wimbledon 1996, and the semifinals of the 1996 US Open.
The only time Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis faced one another in a Grand Slam final was their famous meeting at the 1999 French Open. It was also the last meeting between the two.