"Serena Williams was a bit more scared than I was" - When Martina Hingis refuted Richard Williams' claim of her being 'scared' to face his daughter
Former World No. 1 Martina Hingis once disagreed with Serena Williams' father, Richard, who said she was 'scared' to play against his daughter at the 1999 US Open final.
Hingis was aiming for her sixth Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows that year. She had been in excellent form, beating players such as Kveta Peschke, Sarah Pitkowski, Sandra Klosel, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Anke Huber to reach the semifinals. She hadn't dropped a set in the tournament up to that point.
In the last four, the Swiss faced a tough opponent in Venus Williams and had to come back from a set down in the second set to advance to the final against Serena Williams. The title bout was also a hard-fought battle, especially in the second set, which went to a tiebreak with the younger Williams sister ultimately securing her first Major on home soil with a score of 6-3, 7-6(4).
Following the match, Serena and Venus' father Richard Williams claimed that Martina Hingis was 'scared' to compete against his younger daughter, which didn't sit well with the Swiss.
Hingis dismissed the comments made by the veteran coach during a press conference at the 1999 US Open, saying it was the exact opposite of the reality:
"Mr. [Richard] Williams said, like, I was scared. I think I wasn't the only person at the end who was scared. She had two match points; wasn't able to close them out right away. I think she was a bit more scared than I was actually at the end, because I've been there, done it."
However, the then-19-year-old also showered praise on her American opponent, acknowledging her 'great' fighting spirit.
"For her, it was the first time finals. You know, she's a great competitor, great fighter. Paid off for her today. Hopefully, next time, I'm going to have a better chance. We both are going to be more fit and, like, more relaxed, fresh going into those matches," Hingis said.
Martina Hingis won 5 Grand Slam titles during her career
Hingis clinched her first Major at the 1997 Australian Open, and went on to win the hardcourt Slam two more times - in 1998 and 1999. She secured victories at Wimbledon and the US Open in 1997 but never lifted the French Open trophy, despite reaching the final twice (1997 and 1999).
The Swiss first hung up her racquet in 2003 following her second ankle surgery, although she made a comeback to the WTA Tour in 2006. However, her return was marred by a positive cocaine test during Wimbledon, leading to another retirement.
Facing a two-year ban from the sport, Martina Hingis returned in 2013 as a doubles specialist, before ultimately bidding farewell to professional tennis for good in 2017.