In recent years, Martina Hingis’ name has cropped up as the WTA’s current stars have achieved notable milestones.
In 2022, Iga Swiatek built a phenomenal 37-match winning streak, something no woman had achieved since Hingis 25 years earlier.
AO FLASHBACK: Hingis’ 1997 title part of 37-match win streak
As Aryna Sabalenka prepares to begin her campaign for a third straight Australian Open title, it’s a reminder the last woman to win an AO hat-trick was also Hingis, back in 1999.
Hingis appears this week as the first guest on the new season of The Sit-Down podcast. She was asked how it felt to hear her name in connection with the game’s current top two players.
"Yeah, and I do follow tennis, so I'm totally aware of that,” she replied, smiling.
“It makes me proud. At that time, you're thinking: ‘OK, you know, it's almost normal that you were winning those titles, because everybody expects you to do well’. And later on when I became No.1, every tournament you go to everybody expects you to always succeed and win.
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"Obviously you have that kind of pressure, when you have such a winning streak, that all of a sudden, I almost felt like you get tight – when is that next time you're going to lose? And eventually it's going to happen.
"You talk about Sabalenka. I mean, she definitely deserves to be No.1 now this year, the way she played with winning Grand Slams.
“But also I enjoy watching Mirra Andreeva – she was one of those that she made like quarterfinals, semifinals at various events, like at the French and she did well in Australia, and all of a sudden my name came up.”
Andreeva, the 17-year-old who is often compared with Hingis for her shot selection, precociousness and overall tennis IQ, is one of the game’s fastest rising stars.
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In 2024 she reached the second week of the Australian Open at age 16, progressed to the semifinals at Roland Garros, won her first WTA singles title and rose from world No.58 to crack the top 20, peaking at No.16.
She also hit up Hingis, a player Andreeva said she admired and had watched footage of competing.
"It was also funny, because this year she asked me if I would wanna coach her,” Hingis continued. “And I'm a big fan of hers, the way she plays.
“Unfortunately I couldn't take that job because of my daughter going to kindergarten and I'm not able to travel as much. But Conchita Martinez is doing a great job with helping her on the way and defining her game and making her a better player.
“So we'll see how far she's going to take it.”
Hingis thinks the teenager can rise higher – with some tweaks to her game.
"I like her style, I like her attitude,” Hingis said. "The thing is that even Mirra says about herself, she's not as maybe aggressive, which I would like to see her do a little bit more, coming in and taking the ball on the rise, and step in and move forward.
“I think in my [view], if she can make that extra step, that will make her a top-10 player, definitely.”
Listen to the full episode of The Sit-Down, a weekly podcast released each Monday featuring an in-depth interview with a notable tennis identity. Subscribe to The Sit-Down in your favourite podcast player.