Back in 1997, Martina Hingis was just 16, winning Grand Slam titles, catching up on her homework and didn't have a care in the world. In her own words, she felt "invincible".Ten years after her historic Wimbledon win, when she became the youngest ever women's champion in the Open era, the Swiss admits that these days she's just happy to be playing.
"Some days, it seems a long time ago. Some days, it doesn't," said Hingis. "When I look at the pictures of the past champions, I look totally different now. It's been 10 years. A lot of things have happened." Hingis has never been far from controversy and the headlines. Her infamous meltdown at the 1999 French Open final where she left the Roland Garros court in tears was followed, just a few weeks later, by a first round exit at the hands of Jelena Dokic in the first round at Wimbledon.
She also took a two-year injury-enforced break before returning to the tour in 2005 and is now engaged to fellow professional player Radek Stepanek. Even that's a far cry from the days when one newspaper dubbed her the 'Black Widow', a reference to the faltering careers of players to whom she had been linked in her private life.
"I'm happy to be still around and playing. The older you get, probably the more fears you have. I was totally pleased with myself at 17," said Hingis who clinched her only Wimbledon title to date with a win over Jana Novotna.
"You think the world belongs to you. That year I felt like I was invicible," she said.
Seeded nine for this year's championships, Hingis is not even contemplating a second Wimbledon title to go with her career crop of five Grand Slam crowns. "The older you get, the harder it gets. Sometimes simple things make you happy. "Sometimes you realize that not everything is about winning Grand Slam titles." Hingis faces Japan's Aiko Nakamura on tomorrow for a place in the third round.
No comments:
Post a Comment