It is 17 years since Martina Hingis last played in a Wimbledon final.
She now finds herself in two. The game has changed. So too has the former teenage prodigy’s perspective.
It was suggested the Swiss legend has made more comebacks than American crooner Frank Sinatra after her latest feat, which saw her win through to both the women’s doubles and mixed doubles finals this weekend.
“New York, New York!”
She broke into an impromptu rendition of his most famous tune, before laughing with that big grin in embarrassment. “I’m bad at singing,” she said.
What started as a bit of fun to feed an insatiable competitive drive has become a full-blown return to doubles. As the No.1 seeds, she and Sania Mirza won through to the women’s doubles decider, taking out Americans Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears 6-1, 6-2.
Only hours later as the No.7 seeds, she teamed up with another Indian, Leander Paes, to upset the No.1 seeds Mike Bryan and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3, 6-4 in a mixed doubles semi-final.
“Obviously amazing. It’s more than I could have dreamed of when I started this journey and coming to Wimbledon. Reminds me of 17 years ago when I last won here,” she laughed. “I never liked playing on court 1 in singles. I had those first-round losses (in singles) but I finally fell in love with court 1 today.”
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There is a far more relaxed demeanour off-court since her record-breaking run as an all-conquering teenage Grand Slam champion.
“It’s different now. Obviously I was enjoying winning when I was 16, 17. It was just more stressful, you didn’t have much time to celebrate this because there is next week and you keep being the hunted one,” she said. “The doubles, the practice is not as much or as physical as it was for singles. Singles I used to have practice six hours a day, now it’s probably two, three, half of it.”
Hingis’ mother and coach, Melanie Molitor, was a near-permanent fixture courtside in those years she won five Grand Slam singles titles. Hingis would also add nine doubles and two mixed doubles titles to an impressive if truncated career.
While no longer travelling the circuit, Mum’s advice is still never too far away – whether Hingis requests it or not.
“I’ve played for 30 years so it’s just sometimes you need someone to be there for you and to remind you of things and even like my mum is still behind the scenes watching. She finally got to see the last two matches on TV.
“I was like ‘Mum leave me alone’, you know, but sometimes it’s good,” she laughed, speaking of the text-message advice she had received in recent days. “When I go back home it’s just a reminder of things, it might be sometimes annoying in that moment but it’s back here (in her mind), it’s memorised the things that she tells me on court.”
Playing with both Mirza and Paes, it was the Hingis of old on Friday – that court nous, quick hands and timely net poaching on display from the outset. She thinks of herself as a flexible player, able to adapt to the strengths and weaknesses of her partner.
“With Sania I have to be the one who makes the difference but she sets me up with a big forehand. She’s got one of the world’s best forehands,” Hingis said. “It’s just things we can learn from one another. With Leander, his volleys are the best in the world – creating magic. When I do things with Leander at the net then I’m like anything is easier.”
Still the two biggest matches of Hingis’ tournament lay ahead. In the mixed doubles decider she and Paes will take on No.5 seeds Alexander Peya and Timea Babos after the Austrian-Hungarian duo recovered to hold out Swede Robert Lindstedt and Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues 4-6, 6-3, 11-9.
In the women’s doubles final she and Mirza take on Russian No.2 seeds Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova. Wimbledon finals aside, the obvious question inevitably arises.
For London 2012, Roger Federer was unable to convince his countrywoman to come out of retirement to pursue Olympic mixed doubles gold. Now that she is back playing doubles full-time, will it be a different answer this time around for Rio de Janeiro 2016? For now she remains tight-lipped.
“In 2014 I was starting to play better and doubles became priority and not the coaching. I was coaching and playing doubles with Sabine (Lisicki) and then I started strictly playing doubles and I think that was a very good decision. Now people ask about Rio obviously but just happy to take it one at a time,” she said. “Just want to enjoy my Wimbledon now – two finals, like I said, it’s more than I could have ever dreamed of, above my expectation.”
With Stan Wawrinka now also strongly in the fray, the Swiss could face a welcome selection dilemma. Would Stan or Roger partner Hingis if she agreed to it?
“Ask the boys. Their play,” she laughed.
Queue the Sinatra renditions if she makes her first Olympic appearance in 20 years.
