"I would put a million dollars on Monica Seles or Steffi Graf or me never giving up" - When Chris Evert observed a flaw in Martina Hingis' mentality

Chris Evert once shared a candid assessment of Martina Hingis' game. While the American legend saw flashes of herself in Hingis, she also highlighted one area where the Swiss fell short compared to the likes of Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.

Hingis' breakthrough on tour was nothing short of extraordinary, as she became the youngest Grand Slam singles champion in the Open Era by triumphing at the 1997 Australian Open at the age of 16 years and 3 months. Although she lost in the French Open final, the Swiss emerged victorious at both the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open. Amid her stellar season, Hingis also became the youngest player to attain the No. 1 spot in the WTA rankings.

In an interview with the New York Times that same year, Chris Evert paid Martina Hingis a high compliment, saying the young Swiss star reminded her of herself. The American was particularly impressed by Hingis' fearless approach to the game despite lacking one overpowering weapon in her arsenal.

"She reminds me of me: now I can finally say there's one player who does. Like her, I wasn't lightning fast, but I was there; and then there's the fact that even though she doesn't have one big weapon and she's not going to blow you off the court, she doesn't fear anyone," Chris Evert said.

However, Evert also highlighted a flaw in the Swiss teen's mentality, remarking that while she would bank on players like Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and herself to never give up, Hingis didn't inspire the same faith.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion said that Martina Hingis had the tendency to become "petulant" and angry when she was losing but also acknowledged that the then-16-year-old rarely found herself in such a position because it was so hard to overpower her.

"Where I would put a million dollars on a player like Seles or Graf or me never giving up, I don't quite see that yet with her. She's not an intense player in the classic sense. All that smiling. And she can be a bit petulant. She does get annoyed with herself, and when she's losing, which is rare, she tends to try and hit the ball harder and harder," she said.

"But losing is foreign to her, winning is a habit, and she knows how to play a point better than anyone. She can read and size up a player right away. Nobody can out-steady her. So far, the only way to make her lose is to overpower her, and as we've all seen, even that doesn't work very often," she added.

"I wouldn't ever spit it out like that, that Martina Hingis is the greatest player ever to come along" - Chris Evert

Chris Evert, Martina Hingis and Chan Yung-jan- Source: Getty

While Chris Evert had doubts about Martina Hingis' mental strength, she acknowledged that the Swiss possessed a lot more variety in her game than she herself had. Still, the 18-time Grand Slam champion refrained from crowning Hingis as the greatest tennis prodigy, arguing that it was too soon and "too scary" to make such a prediction about the then-teenager.

Nevertheless, Evert did not rule out the possibility entirely, admitting that the 16-year-old already had the most complete game on tour.

"I wouldn't ever spit it out like that, that she's the greatest player ever to come along. I think it's too soon and too scary to project that for her. But I wouldn't rule it out. At 16, she already has the most complete game around. She has much more variety than I ever did," Chris Evert said in the same New York Times interview.

Chris Evert has also spoken about being impressed by Martina Hingis' outlook on life, observing that the Swiss wasn't "tunnel-visioned" about tennis. She recalled that, despite being a teenager, the first question Hingis asked her was about her children.