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What's the story?
Tennis star Martina Hingis announced her third retirement from the sport and will be hanging up her racquet at the end of this week's WTA Championship in Singapore.
Hingis confirmed that she was keen on exiting on a positive note but also mentioned that she was keen on keeping an optimistic approach that could see her return back to action, for the fourth time!
In case you didn't know
Martina Hingis will be calling time on an illustrious career that saw her claim 25 Grand Slam titles since her debut in 1994 including five championships in singles, seven in mixed doubles and 13 in women's doubles.
The Swiss decided to retire after persistent injuries in 2003 hampered her style of play but returned to playing in 2006 and featured mainly in the doubles category but was forced to quit a year later after being tested for cocaine.
Heart of the matter
A prodigy during her teens, Hingis claimed the women's doubles title in Wimbledon in 1996 aged 15 and holds the record as the youngest player to clinch the title.
At the raw age of 16, she was ranked world number one after winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open and continued her good run until 2003 when she fell prey to a host of injuries that cut short her career.
She was back in 2006 and featured in select games but she went back to her element on her third return in 2010 and formed one of the best partnerships with Sania Mirza. Such was the understanding between the pair that they were called 'Santina' during their playing days.
One of the best pairs in Women's tennis history, the duo fired on all cylinders and took the world by storm as they won the Wimbledon, The US Open and The Australian Open in a row in addition to 41 matches and nine WTA titles in a 16-month unbeaten streak.
Author's take:
The 37-year-old has achieved a lot in her career and has overcome a number of obstacles to chart her way to the top of the rankings. In a game that demands a lot of stamina and concentration, Hingis's determination and her approach to the game was a sight to marvel at.
Apart from this, her partners have also had a lot to say about her and how she was instrumental in getting the best out of them. With her announcing her third retirement, she will undoubtedly leave a huge void to fill.
We wish her the best to come and hope to see her in action again sometime soon.
