"Martina Hingis showed great disrespect for Steffi Graf, she went too far" - When Martina Navratilova criticized Swiss for 'showing off to the crowd'
Martina Hingis was once called out by Martina Navratilova after her 'disrespectful' showing against Steffi Graf in the 1999 French Open final, with Navratilova feeling the Swiss icon went 'too far' when she used an underhanded serve.
After a tense battle at Roland Garros, Graf prevailed 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 and won her 22nd Grand Slam title. More than the tennis, it was Hingis' controversial attitude in the loss that caught the attention of the world.
Hingis, after a contentious line call, received a point penalty by crossing over to Graf's side of the net and arguing over the call. Then, a lengthy bathroom break turned fans firmly against Hingis, who also sent in a underhanded serve in the final set when she was match point down to boos and jeers.
Reviewing the five-time Grand Slam champion's actions afterwards, Navratilova was very critical. The American was of the opinion that Hingis' actions were motivated mainly by the fact that she was embarrassed to be losing against the much-older Graf in a Grand Slam final.
"She showed great disrespect for Steffi Graf, I think she went too far with that underhand serve. She wanted to show off to the crowd," Navratilova said.
"I think she was embarrassed to be losing. A few years ago she said Steffi was too old for tennis and there she was losing to her on clay," she added, as quoted by the BBC.
Steffi Graf herself called out Martina Hingis in the aftermath of the incident, stating that she ought to look at her behavior and change it for the better.
"You have to be respectful of your opponent, and sometimes she hasn't been. It is something she really should take a closer look at because we're all out there, trying hard," Graf said.
"It's a game out there, and sometimes I felt it was more than that for her. That's what I didn't really understand, because I mean, she has everything going for her. There will be other times," she added.
Steffi Graf leads Martina Hingis 7-2 in the head-to-head
Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis met nine times over the course of their careers, with the former winning seven and losing two. The 1999 French Open final was the last of those battles.
The duo met at Wimbledon and the US Open in 1996, both going to the German legend. Before that, they met at the Italian Open, where Hingis won in three sets. The Swiss' other win came at the 1999 Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.