One-on-One with Chris Evert: Martina Hingis discusses her journey to the top 

In this week’s episode of WTA’s One-One-One with Chris Evert, Martina Hingis opened up to fellow former world No. 1 Evert about her journey to the top of the women’s game. Like Evert, Hingis didn’t blow anyone off the court with power, but she won with smarts and style.

“We both weren’t as physical as Martina [Navratilova] in your time later on,” Hingis said. “And with me, with the Williams sisters and Lindsay [Davenport] and Mary Pierce and Monica [Seles] were also much stronger so I had to make, first of all, no errors and try to take the ball early and make them move before they moved me.”

At just 15 years old, Martina Hingis’ greatness was already evident when she captured the 1996 Wimbledon doubles title with Helena Sukova, becoming the youngest major champion ever. At 16, she became the youngest Australian Open champion in history after claiming the 1997 singles edition in Melbourne. Three months later, she would, again, become the youngest Wimbledon ladies singles champion since 1887 when she lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish.

So how did she fit in with the older top pros like Steffi Graf and Monica Seles at such a young age?

“I felt like and 15, 16 I had another 10, 15 years of career ahead me so I had no fear,” she said. “That only came a little bit later when I had my second, you know, my comeback.”

When your body doesn’t let you do the things that you normally able to do and you start losing matches against players that you shouldn’t, of course it goes to your brain.—Hingis

An avid horse rider and skier, Hingis kept herself stimulated by having other interests outside of tennis.

“It was really a nice balance for me to have my horse and dig in the dirt sometimes really,” she said. “Because from the luxury… this life that you had on the tour. You’re staying at four, five star hotels.

"Sometimes you know how it feels, everyone is at your feet. And you feel like the queen or princess of the world, but it’s not always like that. And sometimes going back home and being in the normal world, it was very helpful.”

Having played a lot of matches including doubles, Hingis went into her first retirement in 2003 at just 22, citing lingering injuries. Evert wanted to know if there was more to it than just injuries. Was she starting to feel a little burned out?

“It’s maybe a combination. A little bit of both,” she admitted. “Because when your body doesn’t let you do the things that you normally able to do and you start losing matches against players that you shouldn’t, of course it goes to your brain.”

A 43-time WTA tour-level champion—including five Grand Slams and 64 doubles titles—Hingis  would make two more comebacks before finally hanging up her racquet in October of 2017.