Martina, The Queen Of Hearts!

She was young, sexy and extremely talented. However, after losing that dramatic final of  the 1999 Roland Garros to Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis emerged as this adorable spoiled brat, this audacious teenager who just couldn't accept a loss. She was supposed to win. Every point, every set, every match, everything. This was meant to be her fate, therefore anything less wouldn't suffice. From an early age she won it all as there was nothing standing in her way. So  now, how was she supposed to understand this loss, to process the fact that she was defeated although she could  have easily been the winner? This final was probably the bitterest pill to swallow for the young Swiss. Losing to a 30 years old Graf, must have hurt badly.

Named after Martina Navratilova, Hingis was destined to be the best player in the world. Under her mother's strict guidance, the 'Swiss Miss' quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with. At 15 years old, she became the youngest winner at Wimbledon (teaming up with Helena Sukova for the doubles crown). A year later, she already had 3 singles Slams in her resume. Moreover, she became the youngest player ever to make it to number 1 in the world in March 1997.

When asked if she can be compared with the likes of Graf, Navratilova or Seles, Martina didn't hold back. She knew she was great, so she let everyone know it. Her lack of false modesty made me like her more. I remember that at one point she even said that Graf is too old to be considered a threat. I think all this transformed that Paris final into such an emotional battle. Her opponent was a rejuvenated German who shocked the tennis connoisseurs by making it this far. Hingis seemed in control though and looked poised for a straight sets victory. Then the unpredictable thing happened. The crowd, the empire, the bad karma, everything just turned against her and she choked. She lost her temper and the final. The defeat was so painful and she just couldn't deal with it, causing all the drama. This led to lots of criticism from the media which called her a drama queen.  However, I think she was still a teenager who felt cheated and longed for her mother's protection (she did cry for her mummy and hugged her endlessly in the time off).
This is my first tennis memory. I became enchanted with the sport due to this  mesmerizing final and to Martina's behaviour. She seemed so genuine in her anguish, so hurt, it was like seeing a clear reflection of myself when things don't go as they are supposed to. It was then when she became my tennis darling. It also marked the beginning of my Hingis mania.

After this episode though, Hingis quickly faded away. She remained on top of the rankings, played some Slam finals, but the spell was broken. She didn't win another Slam and the Roland Garros trophy eluded her eventually. In 2002, she announced she's retiring citing injury. She made a brief return in 2006 just to be suspended a year later for testing positive with cocaine (really now?!).

Martina's persona shone beyond the tennis courts. She's not the sexiest, she even seems rude and self-sufficient. She sometimes made fun of her opponents and definitely enjoyed herself  beating them.  However, fans have fallen for her immediately. Also, the impressive string of famous boyfriends attest her as a genuine Queen of Hearts. Some say she was the most intelligent player in the history of the sport. I would say that she was the truest tennis star of them all. If she won she was all smiles. When losing she was furious, frustrated and not in the mood to disguise her anger. She knew she was the best. When she started to doubt it, she quit. For her, being one of the best was not enough. Although I would have liked to enjoy her more, I respect her choice. It was the mark of a great champion. She was confident she could do other things with her life. And so she did: she pursued her passion for equitation by taking part in several events, made an appearance on 'Dancing with the stars' and recently married a 24 years old Frenchman to start a family.

I wish her the best of luck and I hope to hear from my tennis darling soon!

A passionate horseback rider, Martina took part at the 2010 Gucci Masters in Paris.

photos (top-down): The Telegraph, GETTY IMAGES