6 replies to this topic

[irinska]

http://sports.yahoo....28712--ten.html

March 4 (Reuters) - Swiss former world number one Martina Hingis, a winner of five grand slam singles titles, headlined the International Tennis Hall of Fame's list of inductees for the 2013 class.
Broadcaster Cliff Drysdale, tennis promoter Charlie Pasarell and former Romanian player Ion Tiriac will be inducted to the contributor category, the Newport, Rhode Island, hall said in a statement. Australian Thelma Coyne Long was previously named as an inductee to the master player category.
Hingis, who won the Australian Open and Wimbledon at the age of 16, quit tennis for the first time in 2003 at the age of 22, suffering from ankle injuries. She returned in late 2006 and finished the following year ranked seventh.
However, she quit for a second time in 2007 under a cloud after she tested positive for cocaine at that year's Wimbledon. Hingis served a two-year ban but maintained her innocence.
The 32-year-old Swiss won a total of 15 grand slam titles including nine major doubles titles and one mixed doubles crown, and claimed 43 singles titles and 37 doubles titles.
She won three successive Australian Open singles titles from 1997 and also triumphed at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and was a finalist at the French Open. In 1998, Hingis led the Swiss team to their only Fed Cup title.

[laddie]

Great to see. I was worried that they would hold the trumped up cocaine case against her.

Well deserved Martina.

[Lois]

Martina's induction into the 'Hall of Fame' was always a 'shoo-in' based on her wonderful career, what she accomplished as a player was more than adequate, her style, guile and grace was exceptional and so unique, in fact based on today's calibre of WTA players she will always be a standout as one of the most gifted players to ever play the game of tennis.

Lois

Edited by Lois, 06 March 2013 - 14:52.

[laddie]

Agree Lois. It's a pity that the Art of Tennis has been lost and the Women' game has joined the Mens as a Slog Fest.

I fear Martina will be the last of the Tactical and Finesse players. There are some players who show glimses, but, are soon transferring to the Power game.

[irinska]

You know what surprised me most, Martina's the first Swiss tennis player accepted in the HF but no reaction in Switzerland, the news of her acceptance was in every Bulgarian newspaper(the sport section of course) I didn't see anything like this from the Swiss media.Strange people in my opinion they've never realized how popular is Martina abroad.

[hilarius]

irinska, on 07 March 2013 - 09:31, said:

You know what surprised me most, Martina's the first Swiss tennis player accepted in the HF but no reaction in Switzerland, the news of her acceptance was in every Bulgarian newspaper(the sport section of course) I didn't see anything like this from the Swiss media.Strange people in my opinion they've never realized how popular is Martina abroad.

There were articles in the Swiss media about Martina and the Hall of Fame. Also in the papers of the French part of Switzerla^nd.

BTW: Switzerland never won the Fed Cup, in 1998 they lost in the finals against Spain 2:3

[irinska]

hilarius, on 07 March 2013 - 21:16, said:

There were articles in the Swiss media about Martina and the Hall of Fame. Also in the papers of the French part of Switzerla^nd.

BTW: Switzerland never won the Fed Cup, in 1998 they lost in the finals against Spain 2:3

Thanks for the clarification, Hilarius! But I really didn't see many Swiss articles on the net and I know that although Martina won her singles matches they've lost the final.

Edited by irinska, 07 March 2013 - 23:40.