"I was happy Martina Hingis wasn't there" - Serena Williams recalls how Swiss' absence helped her win her first WTA title
Serena Williams recently revisited her maiden title triumph on the WTA Tour way back in 1999. It was the first of her staggering 73 singles titles, which include 23 Majors. As Williams looked back on her achievement, she reflected on how Martina Hingis' absence in the final helped her.
The title came at the 1999 Open Gaz de France, which, at the time, was a WTA Tier II tournament. Williams, unseeded at the event, made her way to the final after coming out on top against Asa Svensson, Nathalie Tauziat, Julie Halard-Decugis, and Nathalie Dechy. In the final, she faced No. 6 seed Amelie Mauresmo, and defeated the Frenchwoman 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4).
Hingis had also featured the tournament and was the favorite to win because of her dominance in women's tennis at the time. The Swiss was the World No. 1 and was seeded first in the tournament. However, she was ousted by eventual runner-up Mauresmo in the quarterfinals. Up until that point, Hingis had already won all five of her singles titles at Grand Slams.
Williams turned back time to reflect on her title-winning run at the WTA Tier II event during her appearance as a guest on YouTube channel First We Feast's 'Hot Takes' feature. According to the former World No. 1, back in 1999, her focus was on winning tournaments instead of toppling Hingis' dominance.
"I think at that point of time in my career, it was more or less about winning tournaments. At the time, Martina Hingis was so good that I didn't really think about beating her. I was like, 'Ok, let me just start with this instead of taking on the biggest and the best'," Williams said (2:50).
The 23-time Grand Slam winner went on to credit Hingis' absence in the final for her own triumph, opining that the Swiss would have probably won the tournament had Williams faced her at the last hurdle.
"She wasn't in the tournament. I was probably happy that she wasn't there because she, probably at that point maybe would have won. Maybe not. But it was also good to just win it in a bit," Williams added.
Serena Williams eventually caught up with Martina Hingis and established an edge over the Swiss in the pair's WTA Tour head-to-head
Martina Hingis' dominance started to fade in 2001, and it was around this time that Serena Williams' ascension to the top began. The pair's rivalry between 1998 and 2002 produced 13 matches, seven of which were won by Williams.
At the beginning of the rivalry, it was the Swiss who won three out of their first four matches. However, as Williams grew in confidence, she started winning more and more matches against Hingis. Arguably their most iconic meeting came in the final of the 1999 US Open, which the then-17-year-old Williams surprisingly won, marking her maiden Grand Slam title triumph in the process.
Williams had also defeated formidable forces Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martinez, Monica Seles, and Lindsay Davenport on her way to the 1999 US Open final. The 23-time singles Major winner's last match against Hingis on the WTA Tour came in the quarterfinals of the 2002 Miami Open, with Williams finally establishing head-to-head superiority over the Swiss.
Meanwhile, Hingis' form and subsequent injury woes compelled her to retire from tennis in 2003. She made her comeback in 2005, but could not hit the heights that she did during her first spell in the sport. The Swiss retired for a second time in 2012, but again came back. However, this time around, her focus, for the most part was on doubles.
Ultimately, Martina Hingis retired in 2017 with an astonishing five singles and 13 doubles crowns. Serena Williams' career came to an end at the 2022 US Open, where she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round.