"I wanted more space, independence... I still talk to mum all the time" - When Martina Hingis opened up about parting ways with her mother as coach
Martina Hingis once opened up about her decision to part ways with her mother, Melanie Molitor, as her coach. The Swiss shed light on her desire to experience some independence after being joint at the hip with her mother throughout her childhood and professional life.
Molitor, a former professional tennis player herself, started training Hingis when she was just two years old, preparing her daughter to become a star. She guided the young prodigy to five Grand Slam singles titles by the age of 18, becoming Hingis' constant companion at tournaments.
However, at the age of 21, Martina Hingis found Molitor's constant presence stifling and decided to end their coaching relationship. In a 2001 interview with the Guardian, the Swiss emphasized that she needed to deal with challenging situations independently, disclosing that her mother would no longer travel with her on tour.
Hingis asserted that the decision was hers alone and clarified that their personal relationship wasn't harmed by the split as she kept in close touch with her mother.
"I have to try and deal with a lot of things - different things - on my own. I made the decision myself. I wanted a bit more space, independence. But, hey, who knows? If I find out it's not the way I want to live, or want to do things, it can change again. I still talk to mum all the time," she said.
However, a WTA insider revealed that Martina Hingis and her mother's working relationship had turned contentious, culminating in a "heated exchange" after her loss to Venus Williams at the 2001 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
"There was a particularly heated exchange after she lost to Venus Williams in the semi-final of the Ericsson Open in March. You couldn't make out what they were saying because they were speaking in Czech," the insider revealed.
"But they were arguing and it wasn't very pleasant. Melanie is a hard taskmaster and maybe Martina wanted a bit of space. It can't be a coincidence that soon afterwards we heard she'd be travelling without her mother," they added.
Martina Hingis once admitted that her mother's absence had a "pretty big" impact on her shock Wimbledon 1R loss
Shortly after her heartbreaking loss to Steffi Graf in the 1999 French Open final, Martina Hingis entered the Wimbledon Championships as the top seed. In a shocking turn of events, the Swiss was ousted from the Major in the first round after a crushing 6-2, 6-0 defeat to 16-year-old qualifier Jelena Dokic.
Interestingly, Hingis' mother Melanie Molitor was conspicuously absent during the loss, despite being present for her daughter's campaign in Eastbourne just days earlier.
Following her loss, the Swiss revealed that she and her mother had decided to maintain some "distance" between them. Although Martina Hingis asserted that she hadn't minded Molitor's absence, she conceded that it had evidently made a "pretty big" difference.
"We decided to have a little bit of distance," Hingis said. Had she minded her mother not being there? "No." And had it made a difference? "I guess so. A pretty big one."
Despite her devastating defeat at Wimbledon, Martina Hingis bounced back strongly at the US Open, setting up a blockbuster title clash with Serena Williams. Williams, though, claimed a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over the Swiss to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title.