"I don't want just to go and pick up my prize money" - When Martina Hingis lamented 'unfair' draw facing World No. 1 Steffi Graf in Wimbledon opener
Martina Hingis once lamented the 'unfair' Wimbledon draw that put her up against then World No. 1 Steffi Graf in the opening round. The Swiss prodigy, who was 14 years old, was making her first appearance at the coveted grasscourt Major.
Hingis burst onto the tennis scene at a very young age, capturing the attention of the tennis fraternity due to her precocious talents. In 1995, the Swiss made her Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open. By the time she reached Wimbledon that year, she had a few wins under her belt. However, the then 14-year-old was then slated to face the then World no. 1 in the opening round.
Martina Hingis faced Steffi Graf, who was a five-time champion by then, in an exciting clash. The German proved to be too big of a challenge for the budding talent as she scored a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 win en route to her sixth Grass Major triumph.
Recalling her devastating defeat in 2017, Hingis quipped how her Wimbledon draw in 1995 was unfair.
“It was so not fair," Hingis told The Sunday Times. “I remember that day. I was like, ‘I don’t want to go to Wimbledon just to go and pick up my prize money.’”
"The one year Steffi Graf didn’t play, I was able to win" - Martina Hingis touches upon her only Wimbledon singles triumph
Martina Hingis was in red-hot form coming into Wimbledon in 1997. She entered the tournament as the top seed and reached the final without dropping a single set. The Swiss faced third seed Jana Novotna who troubled the Swiss greatly and won the opening set. However, the then 16-year-old turned things around to clinch a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win and etch her name into the history books.
Interstingly, Hingis had lost the French Open final to Iva Majoli heading into Wimbledon, which she felt fueled her fire to win Wimbledon. She also quipped how her only Wimbledon triumph came the year Steffi Graf didn't play. The German was the two-time reigning champion but had to sit out due to a knee surgery.
“The one year Steffi didn’t play, I was able to win,” Hingis says. “I felt because I didn’t win the French Open, the more hungry I was to win Wimbledon that year. If I had won the French Open, I may already have been satisfied and maybe I would have taken it easier at Wimbledon.”
Though she never managed to win Wimbledon again, Martina Hingis still enjoyed a stupendous career winning a total of 25 Grand Slams—five in singles, 13 in women's doubles, and seven in mixed doubles. She bid tennis adieu in 2017 at the WTA Finals where she made it to the semifinal.