The Open Era
Switzerland · born Košice, Czechoslovakia, 1980 · Wimbledon champion in singles, doubles and mixed
All playersBack to the rankings
6
Wimbledon titles: one singles, three doubles, two mixed
15
Age at her first Wimbledon title, 1996
16
Age as Wimbledon singles champion, 1997
209
Weeks as world No. 1 in singles
25
Major titles across all three events
Born Martina Hingisová in Košice, Czechoslovakia, in 1980, Hingis was coached from childhood by her mother, Melanie Molitor, and moved with her to Switzerland in 1987. At 12 she won the French Open junior title, the youngest junior major champion. In 1997 she won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, reached all four major finals and became the youngest world No. 1. She held the top ranking for 209 weeks and won five major singles titles, 43 singles titles in all and 64 in doubles. Ankle injuries led her to retire in 2003 at 22. She returned in 2006, stopped again in 2007, and came back for doubles in 2013. Between 2015 and 2017 she won ten more major doubles and mixed titles, and she retired for good after the 2017 WTA Finals as doubles world No. 1.
| Wimbledon singles | Champion 1997, beat Jana Novotná 2-6, 6-3, 6-3; semi-final 1998; 23-8 in nine appearances |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon doubles | 1996 with Helena Suková; 1998 with Jana Novotná; 2015 with Sania Mirza |
| Wimbledon mixed | 2015 with Leander Paes; 2017 with Jamie Murray |
| Other grass titles | Singles: 's-Hertogenbosch 2000. Doubles: Eastbourne 1999 with Anna Kournikova and 2017 with Chan Yung-jan; Mallorca 2017 with Chan Yung-jan |
| Finals to remember | 1996 doubles: beat Meredith McGrath and Larisa Savchenko Neiland 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, aged 15. 2015 doubles: beat Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 5-7, 7-6, 7-5 from 5-2 down in the final set. 2015 mixed: beat TÃmea Babos and Alexander Peya 6-1, 6-1 in about 40 minutes |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Women's doubles | with Helena Suková |
| 1997 | Women's singles | |
| 1998 | Women's doubles | with Jana Novotná |
| 2015 | Women's doubles | with Sania Mirza |
| 2015 | Mixed doubles | with Leander Paes |
| 2017 | Mixed doubles | with Jamie Murray |
| Eastbourne | ||
| 1999 | Women's doubles | with Anna Kournikova |
| 2017 | Women's doubles | with Latisha Chan |
| 's-Hertogenbosch (Rosmalen) | ||
| 2000 | Women's singles Rosmalen Grass Court Championships | |
| Mallorca | ||
| 2017 | Women's doubles | with Latisha Chan |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"She saw the opening, and she went for it."
The person behind the player.
Košice 1980
Her mother, Melanie Molitor, named her after Martina Navratilova in the hope of a similar career. Hingis later described Navratilova as "a great symbol of freedom back in Czechoslovakia". At 12 she won the French Open junior title, and Pam Shriver called her "the most highly publicized 12 year old ever to come out of Europe".
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameWimbledon 1996
Partnering Helena Suková, she won the women's doubles by beating Meredith McGrath and Larisa Savchenko Neiland 5-7, 7-5, 6-1. She was 15 years and 282 days old, the youngest player to win a major title in any event, a record that still stands.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameSwitzerland and Wimbledon 1997
In April 1997 a fall while riding injured her and kept her out of most of the clay season. She lost the French Open final to Iva Majoli, then, seeded first at 16, won Wimbledon from a set down against Jana Novotná. "I felt like a beginner out there in the first set," she said afterwards.
Source: Tennis MajorsRoland Garros 1999
A set and a break up on Steffi Graf in the final, she disputed a line call, walked round to Graf's side to point at the mark and was docked a point. Down match point, she served underarm, and the crowd whistled and booed. She lost 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, left the court in tears and returned for the ceremony only when her mother told her to.
Source: Roland GarrosOff court · 2003
Retiring at 22, troubled by ankle injuries, she said: "I want to play tennis only for fun and concentrate more on horse riding and finish my studies." The break lasted until 2006, when she returned to the WTA Tour, climbed back to world No. 6 and won the Laureus Comeback of the Year award.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 2015
On the Saturday she and Sania Mirza came back from 5-2 down in the final set to win the doubles. On the Sunday she and Leander Paes took the mixed 6-1, 6-1 in about 40 minutes under the Centre Court roof. Her previous Wimbledon title had come 17 years earlier. "It feels like it's a lifetime away," she said.
Source: Sports IllustratedFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
Join freePage updated 3 November 2026. Spotted an error? Send a correction.
_(27331857371).jpg){kind=link}